Côte d'Ivoire’s main opposition party, whose candidate Tidjane Thiam has been excluded from the upcoming October presidential election, gathered thousands of supporters in Abidjan on Saturday and raised its voice, calling for a "national mobilization" against "injustice, tyranny, and fear."

This marks the largest rally by the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI) since their candidate was removed from the electoral list after a court ruled on April 22 that he had lost his Ivorian nationality at the time of his voter registration in 2022.

Other key opposition figures, including former President Laurent Gbagbo (2000–2011), have also been barred from the presidential race due to past convictions.

President Alassane Ouattara, 83, in power since 2011, has yet to announce whether he will run again but has said he is “willing to continue serving his country.”

"To all Ivorian men and women, I would like to issue a heartfelt call for a national awakening," declared Noël Akossi Bendjo, PDCI vice-president, speaking on behalf of Mr. Thiam, a 62-year-old international banker currently residing in France.

"Let us have the courage, let us arm ourselves with determination to push back this blatant injustice in our country, this tyranny and fear. Are you still afraid? Get rid of your fear. It is because of your fear that they continue doing what they do to crush us," he insisted.

"Get Out!"

A gathering of PDCI youth is scheduled for Sunday at the party’s headquarters in the Cocody district of Abidjan, followed by a rally on Thursday in Plateau, the city’s political and business center.

"No more living-room politics, get out there!" urged Véronique Aka, president of the PDCI Rural Women’s Union.

"They (the people in power) thought they could wear us down... They’re about to find out the real fight is only beginning," added MP Yohou Dia Houphouet Augustin, speaking on behalf of the PDCI’s elected representatives in the Abidjan district.

"Starting today, no more sleeping... so that our Titi (Tidjane Thiam’s nickname) makes it onto the electoral list," said Emmou Sylvestre, PDCI’s Executive Secretary.

The final voter list is expected to be published on June 20.

The PDCI "loudly and clearly affirms that President Tidjane Thiam is Ivorian, and there is no disputing his nationality," reiterated the party's vice-president, amid chants of "Titi, President!" from the crowd, accompanied by vuvuzelas and cheers.

"Sole Candidate"

"President Tidjane Thiam is the PDCI’s sole candidate for the presidential election," he stated, emphasizing that "there is no alternative plan beyond Tidjane Thiam."

Born in Côte d'Ivoire, Mr. Thiam acquired French nationality in 1987 and renounced it in March to meet the eligibility requirement of holding only Ivorian nationality to run for president.

However, the judiciary refers to Article 48 of the nationality code, dating back to the 1960s, which states that acquiring another nationality results in the loss of Ivorian nationality.

"Thiam can help Côte d'Ivoire. He has innovative ideas. Preventing him from running is an injustice we cannot accept," said Kouassi Adou, a 50-year-old driver.

This mobilization of the main opposition party comes days after former President Gbagbo launched the slogan "Enough is enough" on April 26, describing a country "split in two" between the "oppressed" and the "privileged." In mid-June, his party warned that it was “reserving the right to take the struggle to the next level.”

In a video posted on social media on May 1, former Prime Minister and ex-rebel leader Guillaume Soro—also excluded from the race and living in exile—denounced what he called an "open authoritarian drift," accusing Ivorian authorities of having "chosen injustice as a method, arbitrariness as a policy, and fear as a strategy."