Latest news with #Thiam
Yahoo
2 days ago
- 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
2 days ago
- 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
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Ivory Coast's president says will seek fourth term in office
Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara has announced he will seek a fourth term leading the West African nation, as tensions rise over the exclusion of many heavyweight opposition candidates. Earlier, he had been officially nominated by his ruling Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP) party as its candidate, but had not yet said if he would contest the October 25 election. With the country's most high-profile opposition politicians ruled ineligible, Ouattara is the clear frontrunner. The 83-year-old president, who has led the country since 2011, declared his plan in a televised announcement on Tuesday. 'For several months, I have received numerous calls from fellow citizens regarding my potential candidacy in the presidential election,' he said. Referring to the country by its name in French, he went on: 'Women and young people from all regions of Cote d'Ivoire, and countless anonymous voices from our neighbourhoods, towns, and villages have reached out. 'In response to those appeals, I announced on June 22 that, as president of all Ivorians, I would, after careful reflection, make a decision guided solely by the best interest of the nation.' Ouattara won a third term in 2020 after the constitution was changed to reset the presidential term limit. He had said he was not going to run again, but he changed his position following the death of his hand-picked successor, Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly. Opposition campaign Critics of Ouattara accuse him of tightening his grip on power and strongly oppose his running again. The opposition has accused the authorities of targeting their opponents by legal means, but the government insists the judiciary acts independently. The two main opposition parties have launched a joint campaign to demand the reinstatement of their barred leaders ahead of the presidential election. This alliance brings together the African People's Party of Ivory Coast (PPA-CI) – led by former president Laurent Gbagbo – and the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI), the country's largest opposition force, headed by former international banker Tidjane Thiam. Gbagbo, his former right-hand man Charles Ble Goude and ex-Prime Minister Guillaume Soro have been struck from the electoral register due to criminal convictions. Ouattara's most prominent rival, Thiam, was barred from running by a court 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. Some previous elections in the Ivory Coast have been fraught with tension and violence. When Ouattara announced his third-term bid, several people were killed in the ensuing violence. There have been protests against the court's decision to bar Thiam from contesting the election. Ouattara is the latest among a growing number of leaders in West Africa who remain in power after changing the constitutional term limit. Coup leaders in the region have used alleged corruption within democratic governments and electoral changes as a pretext to seize power, leading to a split in the regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Al Jazeera
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
‘Thithi president!': Supporters rally for banned Ivorian opposition hopeful
Despite a heavy downpour and slippery roads, supporters of presidential candidate Tidjane Thiam poured into Abidjan's streets in the thousands on Saturday to march on the offices of the Ivory Coast electoral commission. Decked in the white and green colours of Thiam's main opposition Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI), the demonstrators chanted his nickname – 'Thithi president!' – in a show of support for a candidate now officially barred from the vote. Placards reading 'There's no Plan B!' flew high amid protest songs. 'We strongly denounce the arbitrary and unjustified removal of President Thiam, as well as other major opposition leaders,' PDCI's executive secretary, Sylvestre Emmou, one of few people allowed through a large police barricade to submit a complaint to the commission, told his soaked compatriots. 'This is unacceptable and dangerous for peace and democracy in our country,' he said. The protests highlight rising tensions in West Africa's second-biggest economy, ahead of the October general elections that many fear could lead to violence in a country with still-fresh memories of the 2011 election-related civil war. At stake is Ivory Coast's continued stability amid a regional security crisis, but a likely fourth-term bid by incumbent President Alassane Ouattara has concerned many voters and political rivals, alongside what critics say is the government's targeted ban on opponents. Ouattara's strongest challenger, Thiam, was struck from a final list of candidates on June 4 after the electoral commission said he was ineligible to run because he'd automatically lost Ivorian citizenship when he took French citizenship in the 1980s. Although Thiam gave up his French nationality to regain his Ivorian one in February, a court ruled in May that he was not technically Ivorian when he enrolled in the electoral register in 2022. Thiam's supporters accuse Ouattara, who has led since 2011, of clearing the way for a fourth term. The last elections in 2020 were boycotted by the opposition, which argued Ouattara had reached his term limits, handing him an easy victory. In the 2015 elections, Ouattara was a clear favourite. Former President Laurent Gbagbo and his old right-hand man Charles Ble Goude have been struck off too for convictions related to the 2011 civil war. Ex-Prime Minister Guillaume Soro, who was convicted of fraud, was also removed. Ouattara will suffer illegitimacy if he runs without those four, Sylvain N'Guessan, a politics professor at the University of Bondoukou, told Al Jazeera. 'He will be seen as a candidate who had to exclude all other serious candidates to impose himself. What relationship will such a president have with the other parties, with the voters?' he said. Many Ivorians, particularly young voters, view businessman Thiam as a breath of fresh air and a departure from the divisive establishment politics that have seen power concentrated in the hands of a few. At 62, he is two decades younger than Ouattara and is related to Felix Houphouet-Boigny, the first Ivorian prime minister. Thiam was the first Ivorian student to land a place at Paris's prestigious Ecole Polytechnique in 1982, from where he was launched to top-flight firms like consulting giant McKinsey. In 1994, he returned home to take up a ministerial position that saw him launch several infrastructure projects. A military coup in 1999, however, cut short that career. In 2015, he became the first African head of Swiss bank Credit Suisse but stepped down in 2019 after an espionage scandal: a colleague accused Thiam of spying on him, although a court later cleared him of wrongdoing. In 2022, Thiam returned to the Ivory Coast and the once-ruling PDCI party. Thiam's party promises a return to the economic development that flourished under Houphouet-Boigny, who is credited with the 'Ivorian Miracle' or the rapid development that came after colonial rule. Thiam has also promised to include everyone, regardless of ethnicity or religion. 'He presents as a new leader, a new face who could lead Cote d'Ivoire differently,' N'Guessan said, adding that young Ivorians were tired of faces like Ouattara's and Gbagbo's, who are associated with turbulent politics. Critics say his international career means he's out of touch locally, but Thiam claims he is nonetheless well-loved. In an interview with the BBC in April, he accused the government of specifically targeting him with a colonial-era law he said was rarely used. Thiam pointed to Ivorian-French footballers who hold dual nationalities and play for French clubs and the Ivorian national team. 'I don't think anyone in Cote d'Ivoire believes that this is not a case of the government exploiting the legal system,' he said, referring to his removal based on nationality. 'This government has been in power for 15 years. Does it deserve five more? For me, that's what should be at the centre of the presidential campaign, not my passport,' Thiam said at the time. Al Jazeera reached out to the Ivorian government for comment but did not hear back by the time of publication. A day after Thiam's supporters gathered in Abidjan, Ouattara's ruling Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP) members also rallied in Yopougon, the most populous suburb of Abidjan. Banners reading 'In Yopougon, our champion is ADO', a reference to the president's nickname, were stretched across a stage where senior party members extolled Ouattara. The gathering set the stage for the party's grand congress on June 21-22, where Ouattara is expected to officially announce his candidacy. 'There is only one road – the road of President Alassane Ouattara,' former prime minister Patrick Achi declared to the gathered crowd. Ouattara, 83, is rumoured to be half-Burkinabe. He was the target of inflammatory identity politics for years, with his rivals questioning his 'Ivoirite' and enforcing laws that disqualified him from running. When he finally won elections in 2011, Gbagbo refused to hand over power, resulting in a civil war that killed some 3,000 people. Ouattara has since amended the Ivorian constitution to allow presidential candidates with at least one Ivorian parent in a 2016 referendum. He has nurtured the country back from the brink into a flourishing economy, evident in the 7 percent average yearly growth recorded in the past decade. Then in 2020, Outtara ran in and won elections. Critics and boycotting opposition said his third-term bid was unconstitutional while Outtara argued his mandate was reset by the new constitution. Violence was reported in some areas. N'Guessan said Ivorians don't have the appetite for the immense suffering of 2011, and warned that reviving identity politics by preventing Thiam from running once again is 'dangerous'. 'We should learn the lessons to address the issue of nationality with a little more perspective,' he said. 'The same words produce the same effects, the same evils.'
Arabian Post
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Arabian Post
Ouattara Girds for Fourth Term Amid Opposition Clampdown
Abidjan is bracing for a highly polarised presidential election scheduled for 25 October 2025, as President Alassane Ouattara's ruling party moves to endorse his expected bid for a fourth term. Meanwhile, key opposition figures have been barred from the ballot, prompting protests and allegations of democratic erosion. Official party channels have circulated motions affirming Ouattara, 83, as their preferred candidate under the Rally of Houphouëtists for Democracy and Peace. He has indicated his health and determination to continue serving, yet the formal declaration remains pending. The RHDP's decision follows a precedent set in 2024, when senior members asserted there was 'no viable candidate other than Ouattara'. The electoral landscape has sharply shifted in the past weeks. On 4 June, the Independent Electoral Commission finalised its candidate list, excluding four high-profile figures: former opposition leader Tidjane Thiam, ex-president Laurent Gbagbo, Charles Blé Goudé and ex–prime minister Guillaume Soro, citing legal and constitutional constraints. Thiam, who renounced his French citizenship earlier this year, was removed on grounds that he forfeited his Ivorian nationality, a legal interpretation contested by his party. ADVERTISEMENT Thiam's supporters responded in Abidjan, with thousands rallying in inclement weather to demand his reinstatement. Displaying PDCI colours, they accused authorities of biased justice and pledged to challenge the decision domestically and through international mechanisms. In a statement, he stressed he remained committed to peaceful political participation, warning that excluding opposition actors could destabilise the country. The disqualification of other prominent opposition figures compounds political unrest. Gbagbo, who was acquitted by the International Criminal Court but remains barred due to domestic convictions, has decried the exclusion as undemocratic. The disputed electoral list has drawn sharp criticism from Simone Ehivet Gbagbo—former first lady and one of the few opposition candidates allowed to run—who described the electoral environment as unconducive to a 'peaceful, calm election'. The electoral register enrols 8.7 million voters in a nation of roughly 32 million, nearly half under 18. No revisions have been scheduled ahead of the vote, despite opposition demands. Critics argue the register excludes many young and rural voters, exacerbating representation concerns. 2010 and 2020 hold sombre reminders of electoral violence. The former saw over 3,000 deaths in civil unrest, and the latter witnessed deadly bouts of protest after Ouattara pursued a third term, despite term-limit controversy. The spectre of unrest looms once more as key challengers are removed and dissent escalates. Analysts highlight a fragmented opposition: PDCI is split between Thiam and Jean‑Louis Billon; FPI presents Pascal Affi N'Guessan; former rebel leader Guillaume Soro remains in exile; Simone Ehivet Gbagbo leads the MGC. This disunity may advantage the incumbent. International observers, including ECOWAS and the UN, have called for transparency in candidate vetting and voter registration. Foreign influence adds complexity. Ivory Coast's post-colonial ties with France remain under scrutiny, while security cooperation with Israel and the United States persists. Rising anti-French sentiment and praise for pan‑African sovereignty feed nationalist rhetoric across camps. President Ouattara asserts that a constitutional referendum in 2016 reset term limits, legitimising his third mandate—and potentially another. Opposition parties challenge this, asserting that a fourth term would breach democratic norms. As campaigning intensifies, the friction between institutional authority and popular sentiment escalates. The IU electoral schedule foresees campaigning through October, culminating in first- and potential runoff rounds. Both domestic and international actors are watching closely, wary that electoral mismanagement could reignite violence and undermine Côte d'Ivoire's role as a West African anchor of stability.
