The Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI) elected former Credit Suisse boss Tidjane Thiam as its new leader on Friday. As the new head of the opposition party, Thiam is sprinting forward for the 2025 presidential elections.
The PDCI is considered the largest opposition party in the country. Thiam received 96.5 percent of the votes, the party announced. His opponent, Jean-Marc Yacé, the mayor of the Cocody district in the southern city of Abidjan, received 3.2 percent of the vote.
“I accept the responsibility with great humility,” Thiam said after paying respects to his predecessors. Thiam is the third elected president in the history of the PDCI, founded in 1946. Before him, Ivorian national father Félix Houphouët Boigny and another former head of state, Henri Konan Bédié, headed the party. Bédié died last August.
More than 6,000 conference participants were called to elect a new chairman of the PDCI in the Ivorian capital Yamoussoukro. The election passed without incident and the results were announced around midnight. Voter turnout in the elections was 64 percent.
Young favorite
Thiam was considered the favorite because he is internationally known and supported by a large majority of party members. At 61, he is considered young to hold high political office in Ivory Coast. With his election, the PDCI will rejuvenate its image.
“Our new chairman must get us back on track,” said 91-year-old interim chairman Philippe Cowppli-Bony. Thiam should give the young party members more responsibility.
Looking ahead to the 2025 election year
From now on, the party must prepare for the crucial election year of 2025, Thiam told Congress. The PDCI has not been at the helm of Ivory Coast since 1999. The party, which wants to return to power in two years, offered Thiam its support for a possible candidacy on Friday evening.
The PDCI was previously an ally of the current president of Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara. The party has been in opposition since 2018. She boycotted the last presidential election. Thiam could create a new dynamic, a delegate said.
The Ivorian-French manager Thiam headed the then major Swiss bank Credit Suisse from 2015 to 2020. Thiam lived in Switzerland. He resigned after scandals surrounding the shadowing of bank directors. (sda/afp)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
