By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Ahead of the October election in Ivory Coast, former Credit Suisse chief executive Tidjane Thiam has relinquished his French citizenship in a bid to seek the presidency of the cocoa-rich African nation.
Thiam had “been released from his allegiance to France” following his request to surrender his French passport, according to a decision published in France’s official journal on Thursday.
Ivory Coast law states that presidential candidates must be Ivorian citizens and cannot hold another nationality.
Thiam announced his presidential bid last month. He was elected leader of the opposition PDCI party in 2023 and is expected to be a leading contender in the October election.
The 83-year-old incumbent, Alassane Ouattara, is yet to comment on whether he will seek re-election.
Thiam, 62, previously served as a minister in Ivory Coast before former President Henri Konan Bédié was removed in a 1999 military coup.
He left the country and worked in several firms, including consultancy McKinsey, before being appointed CEO of Credit Suisse in 2015, a role he held for five years until his removal.
However, Thiam faces further challenges in his presidential bid, as a court in Abidjan began hearing a case on Thursday, brought by a former PDCI official challenging his election as party leader.
Court documents argue that his election as PDCI president was invalid, as he still held French citizenship at the time. The case has been adjourned until April.
According to Reuters, Ivorian political analyst Arthur Banga said Thiam may have to wait for the Constitutional Council to validate his candidacy in August before knowing whether he will be allowed to run.
