Cheick Tidjane Thiam has been overwhelmingly elected president of the Democratic Party of Côte d’Ivoire – African Democratic Rally (PDCI-RDA) during the party’s 9th extraordinary congress held in Abidjan on Wednesday.
The election comes just days after Thiam’s resignation on May 11, a strategic move to avoid the party being placed under state supervision amid ongoing legal proceedings.
In a message to party members between May 11 and 12, Thiam denounced what he described as “judicial harassment” aimed at sidelining him and undermining democratic debate.
“Since being elected president of the PDCI-RDA, I have had the honour of modernizing and revitalizing our party, generating genuine enthusiasm among our fellow citizens,” he stated.
According to the official results, Thiam received 5,190 out of 5,202 valid votes, representing 99.77% support.
Voter turnout reached 92.69%, with 5,211 members casting ballots from a total of 5,622 registered delegates. The process saw 9 rejected votes and 12 blank votes.
The candidacy of Diakité Bouakary Sidiki was rejected based on party rules, as he was not a member of the political bureau and failed to pay 30 million CFA franc contribution required to finance the congress.
At PDCI headquarters on May 13, Vice President Akossi Bendjo, who also serves as the party’s general coordinator, declared that “as soon as Thiam is elected on Wednesday, May 14, the party will fight to make him a candidate in the October 25, 2025, presidential election.”
Bendjo also reiterated Thiam’s vision: “a Côte d’Ivoire in charge of its destiny, reconciled, a model of progress in Africa and the world, where people, placed at the heart of priorities, can flourish with dignity and contribute to our nation’s greatness.”
Thiam’s election marks a pivotal moment for the PDCI-RDA, one of West Africa’s oldest political parties, founded in 1946 by Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Côte d’Ivoire’s first president.
AC/lb/gik/APA