"I have decided, in the interest of the party, to hand over my mandate as party president to you, the members," declared Tidjane Thiam on Monday.

Ivorian opposition leader Tidjane Thiam announced on Monday that he is resigning from his position as president of the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI), the main opposition party. At the same time, he reaffirmed his intention to continue the fight for the October presidential election, despite being excluded from the race following his removal from the electoral roll.

"In the interest of the party, I have decided to hand over my mandate as party president to you, the members," the Ivorian politician said in a statement posted to his social media accounts. He emphasized that this move "in no way changes" the commitment he made "in December 2023 to personally lead our party to victory in October 2025."

Ineligible for the Presidential Election

Thiam’s election as PDCI president is being challenged in court by a party member who argues that he did not hold Ivorian nationality at the time of the December 2023 vote, violating party rules. "I know that after having elected me in 2023, you will once again place your trust in me," Thiam added in his statement, suggesting he intends to run again for party leadership.

At the end of April, Ivorian courts removed him from the electoral roll, ruling that he had lost his Ivorian nationality at the time he registered in 2022. At that point, he also held French nationality, which he renounced in March. This disqualification makes him ineligible for the upcoming presidential election, now less than six months away.

Other opposition figures, such as former President Laurent Gbagbo, have also been excluded from the race due to past legal convictions.