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An Ivorian court has ruled that Tidjane Thiam, former CEO of Credit Suisse and leader of the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI), was ineligible to lead the party when he was elected in 2023 due to his French citizenship at the time. Despite this, the decision does not affect his current leadership position, as he was re-elected as party president in May 2025 after renouncing his French nationality.
Thiam's political journey has been marked by legal challenges concerning his nationality. In April 2025, a court removed him from the electoral roll, citing that he had lost his Ivorian nationality upon acquiring French citizenship in 1987. Although he renounced his French citizenship in March 2025, the court maintained that he was not eligible to run for president in the upcoming October elections.
In response to these rulings, Thiam resigned from his position as PDCI leader on May 12, 2025, citing "judicial harassment." However, just two days later, he was re-elected unopposed with over 99% of the vote during an extraordinary party congress.
Thiam has criticized the court's decisions as politically motivated, arguing that they are attempts by the ruling party to suppress opposition ahead of the elections. He continues to advocate for democratic processes and has called for both national and international support to ensure fair elections in Côte d'Ivoire.
