Tidjane Thiam’s campaign has halted as presidential candidates are not allowed to hold double citizenship.
The Ivory Coast’s main opposition leader said that he has resigned as leader but will still lead the fight to win the election after being banned from the position of presidential vote in October.
“For the benefit of the party, I have decided to put my mission as president of the party in your hands, activists,” Tiam said in a speech released on social media on Monday.
“This decision does not change the commitment we made in December 2023 to personally lead the party to victory in October 2023.”
President Alassane Ouattara (83), who has been in power since 2011, has yet to say whether he plans to run again, but he says he is eager to “continue to serve my country.”
Tijane Tiam’s presidential election for the presidency of the West African nation has been contested over his nationality, as presidential candidates are not permitted to hold dual citizenship.
Thiam was born in Ivory Coast and was able to abandon his French passport in March, allowing him to take up the top job. However, Abidjan’s court last month forced him off the election list. The 62-year-old politician said he lost his Iborian nationality when he acquired French citizenship in 1987.
Tiam is also facing a lawsuit against the election as head of the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast Africa (PDCI) after fighting for his Iborian nationality when a party member was elected.
PDCI Vice President Ernest Nkomo Mobio took on the party’s interim leader following the announcement of Tiam. He called for “uniformity, tranquility, discipline” and called for party meetings early Monday due to “urgency related to the political situation.”
Three other opponents, including former President Laurent Gubagbo, have been excluded from the presidential race due to the court’s conviction.
Tiam filed fraud on Monday. “We had the right to want an inclusive, transparent and peaceful election, but it is clear that the unfair removal of PDCI candidates is part of the logic that eliminates key opposition leaders and ensures TaylorMade elections and certain victories,” he said.
Authorities regularly reject claims of political intervention in the election process, stating that decisions will be made by independent judicial bodies.
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