Latest news with #Thiam
3 days ago
- Politics
Thousands in the Ivory Coast protest the exclusion of opposition leaders from election
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast -- Thousands of Ivorians took to the streets in Abidjan, the capital of the West African nation, to protest against the exclusion of opposition leaders from the upcoming presidential election. Ivory Coast, a nation of 32 million that is the biggest economy of francophone West Africa, is due to hold a presidential vote in October. Earlier this year four main opposition figures, including former President Laurent Gbagbo and former Credit Suisse chief executive Tidjane Thiam, were barred from running by the electoral commission. Protesters gathered Saturday morning in Yopougon, a densely populated suburb of the capital Abidjan, holding banners with messages such as: 'Enough is enough!' and 'No true democracy without true justice." Gbagbo and Thiam joined forces earlier this year to challenge incumbent President Alassane Ouattara. The 83-year-old leader announced last month that he would seek a fourth presidential term. His candidacy is contested after he changed the constitution in 2016 to remove presidential term limits. 'We are millions saying YES to Gbagbo and Thiam" said another banner in the crowd. 'We don't want a fourth term, and we want the electoral roll revised, that's what we are asking for," said Sagesse Divine, an activist who participated in Saturday's march. "We want all candidates' names included, and we want to go to the elections in peace, that's all we want.' There was no immediate comments from Ivorian authorities. Thiam, president of the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast, won the party's primary in an uncontested vote in April. Seen as Ouattara's main rival, he has been barred from running on the grounds that he was still a French citizen at the time he declared his candidacy, even though he later renounced his French nationality. Ivorian law bans dual nationals from running for president. Elections in Ivory Coast have usually been fraught with tension and violence. When Ouattara announced his bid for a third term, several people were killed in election violence. Ouattara is the latest among a growing number of leaders in West Africa who remain in power by changing constitutional term limits. Ouattara justified his decision to run again by saying that the Ivory Coast is facing unprecedented security, economic and monetary challenges that require experience to manage them effectively. spreading from the Sahel region into wealthier West African coastal states, such as Ivory Coast, Togo and Benin.
San Francisco Chronicle
3 days ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Thousands in the Ivory Coast protest the exclusion of opposition leaders from election
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — Thousands of Ivorians took to the streets in Abidjan, the capital of the West African nation, to protest against the exclusion of opposition leaders from the upcoming presidential election. Ivory Coast, a nation of 32 million that is the biggest economy of francophone West Africa, is due to hold a presidential vote in October. Earlier this year four main opposition figures, including former President Laurent Gbagbo and former Credit Suisse chief executive Tidjane Thiam, were barred from running by the electoral commission. Protesters gathered Saturday morning in Yopougon, a densely populated suburb of the capital Abidjan, holding banners with messages such as: 'Enough is enough!' and 'No true democracy without true justice." Gbagbo and Thiam joined forces earlier this year to challenge incumbent President Alassane Ouattara. The 83-year-old leader announced last month that he would seek a fourth presidential term. His candidacy is contested after he changed the constitution in 2016 to remove presidential term limits. 'We are millions saying YES to Gbagbo and Thiam" said another banner in the crowd. 'We don't want a fourth term, and we want the electoral roll revised, that's what we are asking for," said Sagesse Divine, an activist who participated in Saturday's march. "We want all candidates' names included, and we want to go to the elections in peace, that's all we want.' Thiam, president of the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast, won the party's primary in an uncontested vote in April. Seen as Ouattara's main rival, he has been barred from running on the grounds that he was still a French citizen at the time he declared his candidacy, even though he later renounced his French nationality. Ivorian law bans dual nationals from running for president. Elections in Ivory Coast have usually been fraught with tension and violence. When Ouattara announced his bid for a third term, several people were killed in election violence. Ouattara is the latest among a growing number of leaders in West Africa who remain in power by changing constitutional term limits. Ouattara justified his decision to run again by saying that the Ivory Coast is facing unprecedented security, economic and monetary challenges that require experience to manage them effectively. Over the past decade, groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group have been spreading from the Sahel region into wealthier West African coastal states, such as Ivory Coast, Togo and Benin.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Thousands in the Ivory Coast protest the exclusion of opposition leaders from election
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — Thousands of Ivorians took to the streets in Abidjan, the capital of the West African nation, to protest against the exclusion of opposition leaders from the upcoming presidential election. Ivory Coast, a nation of 32 million that is the biggest economy of francophone West Africa, is due to hold a presidential vote in October. Earlier this year four main opposition figures, including former President Laurent Gbagbo and former Credit Suisse chief executive Tidjane Thiam, were barred from running by the electoral commission. Protesters gathered Saturday morning in Yopougon, a densely populated suburb of the capital Abidjan, holding banners with messages such as: 'Enough is enough!' and 'No true democracy without true justice.' Gbagbo and Thiam joined forces earlier this year to challenge incumbent President Alassane Ouattara. The 83-year-old leader announced last month that he would seek a fourth presidential term. His candidacy is contested after he changed the constitution in 2016 to remove presidential term limits. 'We are millions saying YES to Gbagbo and Thiam' said another banner in the crowd. 'We don't want a fourth term, and we want the electoral roll revised, that's what we are asking for,' said Sagesse Divine, an activist who participated in Saturday's march. 'We want all candidates' names included, and we want to go to the elections in peace, that's all we want.' There was no immediate comments from Ivorian authorities. Thiam, president of the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast, won the party's primary in an uncontested vote in April. Seen as Ouattara's main rival, he has been barred from running on the grounds that he was still a French citizen at the time he declared his candidacy, even though he later renounced his French nationality. Ivorian law bans dual nationals from running for president. Elections in Ivory Coast have usually been fraught with tension and violence. When Ouattara announced his bid for a third term, several people were killed in election violence. Ouattara is the latest among a growing number of leaders in West Africa who remain in power by changing constitutional term limits. Ouattara justified his decision to run again by saying that the Ivory Coast is facing unprecedented security, economic and monetary challenges that require experience to manage them effectively. Over the past decade, groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group have been spreading from the Sahel region into wealthier West African coastal states, such as Ivory Coast, Togo and Benin.
Yahoo
29-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ivory Coast president, 83, says he will run for fourth term
Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara has announced he will run for a fourth term in October's election. In a statement, the 83-year-old said his health was not an issue and his candidacy was driven by a need to "preserve national stability amid ongoing security and economic challenges". Ouattara argues a new constitution approved in 2016 reset his two-term limit, meaning he is allowed to stand. He will be the poll's frontrunner, as several potential challengers have already been barred from the race. The excluded candidates include former President Laurent Gbagbo, ex-Prime Minister Guillaume Soro, and former minister Tidjane Thiam. On Tuesday, Thiam and other opposition leaders swiftly denounced Ouattara's decision to run. "Today's announcement by Mr Ouattara constitutes a violation of our Constitution and a new attack on democracy," Thiam said in a statement. "The Ivorian people will continue to make their voices heard and show the world what we think of this situation." On the same day Ouattara announced his bid, authorities banned a peaceful protest planned for 7 August. The demonstration was organised by opposition groups in order to demand the reinstatement of disqualified presidential candidates and an independent audit of the voter list. Former banker Ouattara will be hoping his track record propels him to victory in October - for four successive years Ivory Coast's economy has grown by more than 6%. However, the country is currently experiencing widespread disillusionment with the country's political establishment. Current tension over the exclusion of opposition candidates evokes memories of past electoral violence, including the 2010-2011 conflict that left over 3,000 dead and the unrest triggered by Ouattara's controversial third-term bid in 2020. More than 8.7 million Ivorians have registered to vote. Civil society groups and religious leaders, including the Catholic Bishops' Conference, have expressed alarm at growing political polarisation in the country. You may also be interested in: Is Ivory Coast's red card politics an own goal for democracy? 'I was born Ivorian' - bank boss barred from running for president tells BBC A love letter to attiéké, Ivory Coast's timeless culinary treasure Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica BBC Africa podcasts Africa Daily Focus on Africa
BBC News
29-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Alassane Ouattara: Ivory Coast president, 83, says he will run for fourth term
Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara has announced he will run for a fourth term in October's a statement, the 83-year-old said his health was not an issue and his candidacy was driven by a need to "preserve national stability amid ongoing security and economic challenges".Ouattara argues a new constitution approved in 2016 reset his two-term limit, meaning he is allowed to will be the poll's frontrunner, as several potential challengers have already been barred from the race. The excluded candidates include former President Laurent Gbagbo, ex-Prime Minister Guillaume Soro, and former minister Tidjane Thiam have all been barred from Tuesday, Thiam and other opposition leaders swiftly denounced Ouattara's decision to run."Today's announcement by Mr Ouattara constitutes a violation of our Constitution and a new attack on democracy," Thiam said in a statement."The Ivorian people will continue to make their voices heard and show the world what we think of this situation."On the same day Ouattara announced his bid, authorities banned a peaceful protest planned for 7 demonstration was organised by opposition groups in order to demand the reinstatement of disqualified presidential candidates and an independent audit of the voter banker Ouattara will be hoping his track record propels him to victory in October - for four successive years Ivory Coast's economy has grown by more than 6%.However, the country is currently experiencing widespread disillusionment with the country's political tension over the exclusion of opposition candidates evokes memories of past electoral violence, including the 2010-2011 conflict that left over 3,000 dead and the unrest triggered by Ouattara's controversial third-term bid in than 8.7 million Ivorians have registered to vote. Civil society groups and religious leaders, including the Catholic Bishops' Conference, have expressed alarm at growing political polarisation in the country. You may also be interested in: Is Ivory Coast's red card politics an own goal for democracy?'I was born Ivorian' - bank boss barred from running for president tells BBCA love letter to attiéké, Ivory Coast's timeless culinary treasure Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
