It has been one year since Tidjane Thiam took the reins of the PDCI-RDA, the oldest political party in Côte d'Ivoire. To mark this anniversary, the successor to Henri Konan Bédié, who passed away in August 2023, held a rally on Saturday afternoon, December 21, 2024, in Aboisso, about 100 kilometers from Abidjan. The former Minister of Planning used the occasion to connect with his supporters.
Dressed in a shirt bearing the party's colors, green and white, the militants and sympathizers of the PDCI-RDA filled the Elingan square in Aboisso. The goal? To reaffirm their support for their leader, Tidjane Thiam. For one enthusiastic supporter, the former CEO of Credit Suisse is the right man for the job: "There is no doubt, he's the one we need. We, at the PDCI, our choice is President Tidjane Thiam. He is our choice to defeat the Baobab, Alassane Ouattara, in 2025. Thiam will do it."
When Tidjane Thiam entered, the crowd erupted in joy. In his speech, he shared his vision for Côte d'Ivoire, focusing on five key priorities, with special emphasis on education and healthcare. The former minister didn’t hesitate to criticize the current government. "We are a poor country, and yet, the attention given to the most vulnerable is not always what it should be. For example, we see the demolitions of homes, the evictions, without social support measures or humanitarian considerations. Inflation is unbearable. Food prices are rising."