Thousands protest in Ivory Coast after opposition leader barred from presidential race

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) - Thousands of protesters gathered in Ivory Coast ‘s capital Abidjan on Saturday to demand the reinstatement on the electoral list of main opposition leader Tidjane Thiam, a former CEO of Credit Suisse, who was barred from running in the presidential election set for October.

Despite heavy rain, protesters peacefully gathered near the independent electoral commission, the body responsible for organizing the vote, in Abidjan.

On June 4, the electoral commission had excluded Thiam from the final list of presidential candidates along with three other prominent opposition candidates.

Earlier this year, a court ruled that Thiam was not eligible to run because of his dual Ivorian-French nationality, a decision that Thiam vowed to fight. Born in Ivory Coast, Thiam received French nationality in 1987 but gave it up in March.

Dressed in green and white, the colors of Thiam's Democratic Party of Ivory Coast, or PDCI, protesters on Saturday held signs in support of the opposition leader, with some chanting "Corrupt justice" and "Thithi president."

"Beyond my own case, this is a movement to ensure democracy prevails in our country. I will soon be with you in Abidjan so we can continue this fight," Thiam, who was not present at the protest, said in a Facebook video thanking the protesters.

Senior PDCI officials were allowed inside the electoral commission building to deliver a letter demanding that excluded candidates be reinstated on the electoral list.

"We strongly denounce the arbitrary and unjust removal of President Thiam and other key opposition leaders from the electoral list," PDCI Executive Secretary Sylvestre Emmou told reporters following the meeting with members of the commission.

In recent weeks, dissent has grown in the West African nation, fueled by the exclusion of the opposition candidates from the voter roll and the anticipation of a ruling party congress later this month, where President Alassane Ouattara is expected to announce his bid for the October 25 election.

Ouattara has been in power since 2011 and is currently serving his third term. Despite Ivory Coast having a two-term limit for presidents, he argues it doesn't apply to him due to a constitutional referendum passed in 2016.

In 2020, Ouattara won a disputed election boycotted by the opposition.

There have been some fears of post-election violence erupting in Ivory Coast, where more than 3,000 people were killed following a disputed vote over a decade ago.