Côte d’Ivoire judge rules main opponent out of presidential election

Tidjane Thiam, president of the Democratic Party of Cote d'Ivoire (PDCI), at a rally for the presidential election of October 2025, on 15 February. AFP - SIA KAMBOU

Tensions are rising in Côte d'Ivoire after a court ruled that opposition candidate Tidjane Thiam is not eligible to run in October’s presidential election because he lost his Ivorian nationality when he became a French citizen.

An Abidjan court struck Thiam off the electoral list on Tuesday, just days after the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI), the main opposition party in the country, nominated him as its candidate for the 25 October election.