Thousands of protesters gathered peacefully in the capital city’s streets Saturday, despite heavy rain, to demand the reinstatement of main opposition leader Tidjane Thiam to the electoral list. Thiam, a former Credit Suisse CEO, was barred from running in the October presidential election along with three other prominent opposition candidates.
The protesters, dressed in green and white, the colors of Thiam’s Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI), held signs in support of the opposition leader and chanted slogans including “Corrupt justice” and “Thithi president.”
In a Facebook video, Thiam thanked the protesters and said, “Beyond my own case, this is a movement to ensure democracy prevails in our country.” He vowed to continue fighting the decision.
The electoral commission excluded Thiam from the final list of presidential candidates on June 4, citing his dual Ivorian-French nationality. Thiam had given up his French nationality in March, but a court earlier ruled him ineligible to run.
Senior PDCI officials met with electoral commission members, delivering a letter demanding the reinstatement of excluded candidates. PDCI Executive Secretary Sylvestre Emmou denounced the removals as “arbitrary and unjust.”
The protests reflect growing dissent in Ivory Coast, fueled by opposition concerns over the electoral process and President Alassane Ouattara’s expected bid for a fourth term. Ouattara has been in power since 2011 and argues a two-term limit doesn’t apply to him due to a 2016 constitutional referendum.
Fears of post-election violence have resurfaced, given the country’s history of election-related unrest that killed over 3,000 people in 2010-2011.