Latest news with #TidjaneThiam
Reuters
6 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
Ivory Coast ex minister seeks to lead opposition in October vote
Ivory Coast former trade minister Jean-Louis Billon said he is seeking to represent the opposition PDCI party in October's presidential election after former Credit Suisse chief Tidjane Thiam was excluded from the final list of candidates last week. David Doyle has more.
Reuters
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Ivory Coast former minister Billon seeks to lead opposition in October vote
ABIDJAN, June 9 (Reuters) - Ivory Coast former trade minister Jean-Louis Billon said he is seeking to represent the opposition PDCI party in October's presidential election after former Credit Suisse chief Tidjane Thiam was excluded from the final list of candidates last week. The question of who will carry the mantle of the main opposition party risks adding to tensions in the world's top cocoa producer, which has a history of election-related violence including a brief civil war after the 2010 presidential contest that killed about 3,000 people. In an interview with Reuters in the commercial capital Abidjan, Billon, 60, blamed party officials for the handling of legal challenges to Thiam's candidacy and did not rule out the possibility of representing another party, though he said it was too early to make such a move. "I am asking for the PDCI's support," he said. "It's a shame that (PDCI) President Thiam was eliminated, but it was the result of the lack of preparation of certain party officials that led to his elimination. That's why you always have to have several strings to your bow, especially when you're in politics." The electoral commission published its final list of candidates last week, excluding Thiam, who denounced the decision as a sign of the "abandonment of democracy". Ivory Coast law states that candidates must be Ivorian citizens and cannot hold another nationality. Thiam renounced his French citizenship in February in order to meet eligibility conditions for the election. But a court in Ivory Coast ruled in April that Thiam should be removed from the electoral roll because he was a French national when he registered. Thiam told Reuters after that decision that he planned to fight on and run anyway. The notion of Ivorian identity was at the heart of past violence in Ivory Coast, and some fear lingering questions over Thiam's nationality in the run-up to the vote risk pushing those tensions back to the surface. Incumbent President Alassane Ouattara himself was barred from seeking the presidency over what opponents said were his foreign origins before he finally won election in 2010. Ouattara, 83, has not said whether he will run again this year. Billon told Reuters that if elected he would endorse a law to lift restrictions on dual nationality. "You have thousands of Ivorians who live abroad, who have made their lives abroad, and who end up having dual nationality," he said. Billon also said he would trim the civil service, crack down on corruption, promote private sector investment and move more government offices to Yamoussoukro, the political capital. He said it was time for Ouattara and other politicians of his generation to leave the scene. "Ivory Coast will change. I think our elders have had their day," he said.
5 days ago
- Politics
Ivory Coast opposition leader Thiam excluded from October's presidential ballot list
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast -- Tidjane Thiam, a former CEO of Credit Suisse and the main opposition leader in Ivory Coast, has been excluded from the country's final list of presidential candidates along with three other prominent opposition candidates, the electoral commission said on Wednesday. Ivory Coast is set to hold a highly contested vote in October. Earlier this year, a court in Ivory Coast ruled that Thiam was not eligible to run for president because of his dual Ivorian-French nationality, a decision that Thiam vowed to fight. Ibrahime Coulibaly-Kuibiert, president of the country's electoral commission, told reporters on Monday: "If the courts have ordered removal, we will comply.' Thiam, who is the president of the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast, won the party's primary in an uncontested vote. He was widely seen as the main challenger to President Alassane Ouattara, who won in 2020 after a disputed election left dozens dead and opposition candidates boycotted the election. Born in Ivory Coast, Thiam received French nationality in 1987 but gave it up in March. Other prominent opposition candidates excluded from the vote include former president Laurent Gbagbo, his close ally Charles Ble Goude, who was charged with crimes against humanity related to the civil war, and the former prime minister and rebel leader Guillaume Soro, who was sentenced in absentia to life in prison for organizing a coup.
Hamilton Spectator
5 days ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Ivory Coast opposition leader Thiam is excluded from the list of presidential candidates
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — Ivory Coast 's main opposition leader Tidjane Thiam, a former CEO of Credit Suisse, has been excluded from the final list of presidential candidates along with three other prominent opposition candidates, the electoral commission said Wednesday. Ivory Coast is set to hold a highly contested vote in October. Earlier this year, a court ruled that Thiam was not eligible to run because of his dual Ivorian-French nationality, a decision that Thiam vowed to fight. Born in Ivory Coast, Thiam received French nationality in 1987 but gave it up in March. Ibrahime Coulibaly-Kuibiert, president of the electoral commission, told reporters on Monday: 'If the courts have ordered removal, we will comply.' Thiam, president of the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast, won the party's primary in an uncontested vote. He was widely seen as the main challenger to President Alassane Ouattara, who won in 2020 after a disputed election left dozens dead and opposition candidates boycotted the election. Other prominent opposition candidates excluded from the vote include former president Laurent Gbagbo, his close ally Charles Ble Goude, who was charged with crimes against humanity related to the civil war, and the former prime minister and rebel leader Guillaume Soro, who was sentenced in absentia to life in prison for organizing a coup. The Democratic Party of Ivory Coast said the exclusion was 'unfair' and called for national demonstrations 'to defend democracy.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Toronto Star
5 days ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Ivory Coast opposition leader Thiam is excluded from the list of presidential candidates
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — Ivory Coast 's main opposition leader Tidjane Thiam, a former CEO of Credit Suisse, has been excluded from the final list of presidential candidates along with three other prominent opposition candidates, the electoral commission said Wednesday. Ivory Coast is set to hold a highly contested vote in October. Earlier this year, a court ruled that Thiam was not eligible to run because of his dual Ivorian-French nationality, a decision that Thiam vowed to fight. Born in Ivory Coast, Thiam received French nationality in 1987 but gave it up in March. Ibrahime Coulibaly-Kuibiert, president of the electoral commission, told reporters on Monday: 'If the courts have ordered removal, we will comply.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Thiam, president of the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast, won the party's primary in an uncontested vote. He was widely seen as the main challenger to President Alassane Ouattara, who won in 2020 after a disputed election left dozens dead and opposition candidates boycotted the election. Other prominent opposition candidates excluded from the vote include former president Laurent Gbagbo, his close ally Charles Ble Goude, who was charged with crimes against humanity related to the civil war, and the former prime minister and rebel leader Guillaume Soro, who was sentenced in absentia to life in prison for organizing a coup. The Democratic Party of Ivory Coast said the exclusion was 'unfair' and called for national demonstrations 'to defend democracy.'
