Cote d'Ivoire: Thiam Resigns as President of the Opposition PDCI Party

Tidjane Thiam has announced his resignation as president of the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire - African Democratic Rally (PDCI-RDA), due, in his words, to the "judicial harassment" he is facing, reports allAfrica.fr.

The announcement was made in a video posted last night on social media, while a trial, in which a PDCI activist is questioning the legality of his election as party leader in December 2023, continues.

Thiam's party held a Political Bureau meeting on Monday morning in Abidjan to officially appoint an interim president. In another video posted on social media, Ernest N'Koumo Mobio claims to be assuming this role.

Tidjane Thiam was removed from the electoral roll by a court ruling on April 22, six months before the next presidential election, because he had lost his Ivorian nationality, according to one of his lawyers. This decision, which is not subject to appeal, for the time being closes the door on Tidjane Thiam's candidacy in the October 25 presidential election.

This article originally appeared on AllAfrica.