Presidential Election: Ivory Coast's "Pressure Cooker" Threatens to Explode
Rendered ineligible for the presidential election of October 25, 2025, by a court ruling in April, former banker Tidjane Thiam is at the center of a political and legal saga. His case and that of three other opposition figures who were also excluded are of greater concern to the West African press than to the declared candidates.
But what did Tidjane Thiam, the main opponent of the Rally of Houphouëtists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP, the ruling party) expect? That the latter would “roll out the red carpet for him and say: ‘Come and take the presidential seat of the Republic?’ No way! According to Aujourd’hui au Faso . In this highly politicized Ivory Coast, […] we should not expect easy options.”
The “legal-political stone” that has pushed aside The former head of Credit Suisse in the presidential race of October 25, 2025 is at the origin of a saga as complex as it is incredible. Elected president of the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire-African Democratic Rally (PDCI-RDA, former single party) in December 2023, the former global financial bigwig resigned from this post on May 12. “A dramatic turn of events!” headlined Afrik.com at the time . Then he ran for president again on May 14, during an extraordinary party congress. Zero suspense: “The sole candidate in this election, Cheick Tidjane Thiam was elected with more than 99.69% of the vote,” wrote the pro-government newspaper Fraternité Matin . Alas, during the vote, the courts requested the congress be suspended…
In the background, legal proceedings and the return of the co
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