Thousands of supporters of Ivory Coast’s opposition candidate Tidjane Thiam gathered in Abidjan on Saturday to protest against his exclusion from the west African country’s presidential vote.
A court in Abidjan struck Thiam off the electoral list on April 22, saying the 62-year-old politician had lost Ivorian nationality when he acquired French citizenship in 1987.
Other opposition figures, including former president Laurent Gbagbo, have also been excluded from the presidential race due to judicial convictions.
Thiam is currently in France but top figures in his Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI) in Abidjan called Saturday for national protests against his exclusion.
“Let us have courage, arm ourselves with courage and determination to push back against this blatant injustice in our country, this tyranny and fear,” said Noel Akossi Bendjo, the PDCI’s vice president.
“Are you afraid now? Get rid of your fear. It is because you are afraid that they continue to do what they do, to crush us,” Bendjo said.
The protest was the most significant gathering in support of Thiam since he was barred from running, after a previous call for protests outside courts in April drawing only a few hundred supporters.
‘No other plan’
Born in Ivory Coast, Thiam acquired French nationality in 1987 but renounced it in March in order to run for president, as candidates are not allowed to hold dual citizenship.
But the Abidjan court based its ruling on article 48 of the country’s nationality code, dating from the 1960s, which states that acquiring another nationality means forgoing Ivorian citizenship.
The PDCI “loudly proclaims that… Thiam is Ivorian and his nationality is beyond dispute”, said Bendjo, addressing supporters who chanted “Titi, president”, using Thiam’s nickname.
“Thiam is the PDCI’s sole candidate for the presidential election,” he said, adding that the party had “no other plan” for the electoral race.
Meanwhile, the governing party of President Alassane Ouattara, 83, has yet to reveal its candidate.
Ouattara, in office since 2011, has said he is eager to “continue serving my country”.
-‘Get out!’-
A gathering of young PDCI members will take place Sunday at the party’s headquarters in Abidjan, while another rally is expected Thursday in Plateau, the capital’s business district and political heart.
“Enough armchair politics, get out!” said Veronique Aka, president of the Union of Rural PDCI Women.
The people in power “thought they were going to wear us down… They will see that it’s starting now,” said Yohou Dia Houphouet Augustin, a lawmaker in Abidjan.
“Starting today, we no longer sleep… so that our Titi is on the electoral list,” added Emmou Sylvestre, a party executive.
Authorities are expected to publish the final electoral list on June 20.
