Four key opposition leaders in Ivory Coast were barred from contesting for the October presidential elections after a court ruling raised doubts about their nationality at the time of registration.
Their candidature as well as their voting rights have also been suspended.
One of the opposition candidates, Tidjane Thiam, leader of the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI), said in a statement, “My elimination from the electoral list by the Independent Electoral Commission is a sad but eloquent example of Ivory Coast’s drift towards a total absence of democracy.”
Thiam’s statement was made mere two days after the Independent Electoral Commission announced that no further revisions would be made to the electoral register ahead of the vote.
An appeal has been made to the UN Human Rights Committee, with Thiam’s lawyers stating that the denial of his political rights is a “serious violation of Ivory Coast’s international commitments.”
This decision followed a court ruling earlier this year that deemed Thiam ineligible to run on the grounds of his dual Ivorian-French citizenship. He was seen to be giving up his French nationality earlier in March.
Other candidates excluded from the upcoming election include former president Laurent Gbagbo and his ally Charles Ble Goude, who was previously charged with crimes against humanity in 2013 connected to the Ivory Coast civil war.
Current President Ouattra, who came to power in 2011, maintains his position on the electoral register, however, a formal announcement confirming his candidature is still awaited.
Other members who declared their candidacy and are confirmed to be on the electoral ballot list, including former First Lady Simone Ehivet Gbagbo, have extended their support for the excluded candidates. She further stated that the conditions for a “peaceful, calm election” remain unfulfilled.
A similar revision of the electoral list took place ahead of the October 2020 elections, displaying a pattern of violated democratic principles.
The electorate, consisting of 8.7 million registered voters, has also come under scrutiny. The Ivory Coast not only consists of a high immigrant population, but half of the 30 million inhabitants are reportedly under the age of 18, leaving them unable to vote.
While authorities deny any interference with electoral proceedings, the excluded opposition leaders have demanded an inquiry into the matter, vowing “to defend democracy” in the Ivory Coast.
