Protest in Ivory Coast for opposition leader to run in election

On June 14th, the capital city of Ivory Coast, Abidjan, filled with thousands of protesters who are demanding that the main opposition leader Tidjane Thiam who has been banned from running in the presidential election, is reinstated to the electoral list according to the Associated Press.

Ivory Coast’s constitution states that a presidential candidate must be “exclusively Ivorian”, and therefore Thiam’s dual citizenship with France posed a constitutional problem. A court ruled that he was not eligible to run for president.

On March 20th, Thiam renounced his French passport and citizenship, however court documents argued that because he held French nationality when he became party president of the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI), his leadership and presidential run are invalid. 

Thiam’s eligibility to run in the October presidential elections has been up in the air, but on June 4th the electoral commission excluded Thiam from the final list of presidential candidates as well as three other prominent opposition candidates.

The protesters on June 14th gathered near the independent electoral commission, the body that had excluded Thiam. Senior officials of the PDCI party were allowed inside, and they delivered a letter demanding Thiam’s reinstatement to the electoral list.

PDCI Executive Secretary Sylvestre Emmou told reporters “we strongly denounce the arbitrary and unjust removal of President Thiam and other key opposition leaders from the electoral list.” 

Protesters dressed in the official colours of the PDCI, held signs and chanted phrases including “corrupt justice” and “Thithi president,” according to the Associated Press.

The peacefulness of this protest marks a stark change to previous protests in Ivory Coast surrounding elections. In 2011, around 3000 people were killed in conflict after then-leader Laurent Gbagbo refused to concede defeat when he lost the election. 

In 2020, 85 people were killed when current President Alassane Ouattara, who has been in power since 2011, won a third term in an election that was largely disputed and boycotted by the opposition. 

Ivory Coast has a two-term limit for Presidents, but Ouattara argues that due to a constitutional referendum in 2016, this does not apply to him.

Thiam was not present at the protest, but he thanked his supporters who attended in a video on Facebook, saying “Beyond my own case, this is a movement to ensure democracy prevails in our country. I will soon be with you in Abidjan so we can continue this fight.”

Associated Press/Maghrebi