In Ivory Coast, the President of PDCI-RDA, Tidjane Thiam, held a meeting on Saturday, February 15, in Yopougon, the largest district of Abidjan. Many militants and supporters flooded Figayo square to cheer their leader, marking a rally that looked like a pre-election campaign, eight months before the vote.

This was the first meeting of the year for PDCI-RDA, already taking on the air of a presidential campaign. Speakers took turns at the podium, praising their champion, Tidjane Thiam.

For the militants, the goal was clear: to prove that the PDCI remains a major political force. "For those who thought the PDCI was definitively buried, it was time to show them that we are here with President Tidjane Thiam. We will take part in the 2025 elections, and we will win them!" stated one militant.

Facing a crowd fully supportive of him, the former head of Credit Suisse promised bold reforms for the Ivorians. But he stressed: the transparency of the election will be crucial. "Our vote must be respected in October 2025. We will only succeed through active and vigilant presence at all stages of the process, up to the proclamation of results, which we demand publicly, in real-time, from one polling station to another," said Tidjane Thiam.

In early February, Tidjane Thiam announced that he had begun the process of renouncing his French nationality to become exclusively Ivorian, a requirement to run for the presidency. For the PDCI-RDA nomination, he will face Deputy Jean-Louis Billon, who has also been holding numerous meetings in recent weeks.