Ivorian banking ace confirms presidential ambition

APA-Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) International banker Tidjane Thiam will file his candidacy with the Electoral Committee of the opposition Parti Democratique de Côte d’Ivoire (PDCI) on Friday November 17, 2023. Tidjane Thiam, former Ivorian Minister of Planning (under the Henri Konan Bedie era), who arrived in Abidjan on Wednesday November 15, 2023, will have to provide “proof” of at least ten years’ membership of the Political Bureau, one of the eligibility criteria for the post of president of the PDCI, the former single party. Tidjane Thiam’s eligibility for the presidency of the PDCI is divided. Some believe that the technocrat was appointed to the Political Bureau less than a year ago, while others point out that he has been on the Political Bureau for 20 years, since he was Minister of Planning. Following the death of Henri Konan Bedie on August 1, 2023, the party’s Political Bureau has decided to elect a new leader to head the political formation. The election will take place within the framework of the 8th Extraordinary Congress. According to a party memo, candidacy files will be received by the general secretariat of the 8th Extraordinary Congress Electoral Committee at the party’s headquarters in Cocody, “from Thursday November 9 to Friday November 17, 2023, from 08:00 to 18:00 (GMT, local time).” The list of documents to be provided includes a letter of candidacy to the party president, a certificate of nationality, a birth certificate and an extract from the candidate’s criminal record less than six months old. The candidate must also produce a receipt for payment of the 20 million CFA francs, representing the contribution to the organization of the Extraordinary Congress, “proof of membership of the Political Bureau for at least ten years” and a political curriculum vitae. Several candidates have announced their candidacy for the PDCI presidential election scheduled for December 16, 2023, at the 8^th Extraordinary Congress. Vice-president Kakou Guikahue, chief executive secretary, has declared his candidacy, as has the mayor of Cocody, Jean-Marc Yace. Nearly 50 of the 65 MPs of the opposition Parti Democratique de Côte d’Ivoire (PDCI) have issued a statement inviting Tidjane Thiam to stand for the party presidency on October 31, 2023. For these parliamentarians, “for at least a decade, the PDCI has been steadily losing ground in national elections”. With the sudden death of Mr. Bedie, a leader is needed to give the party a boost, or risk extinction. The electoral committee of the PDCI, the former single party, is chaired by Gervais Jean Marie Kakou. The party’s call for candidates comes more than three months after Henri Konan Bedie’s death on August 1, 2023, in Abidjan. AP/fss/abj/APA