Excitement in Abidjan: the former Credit Suisse CEO is stirring up politics in the Ivory Coast. He is the favorite to become the leader of the largest opposition party in the country. The election takes place this Saturday.

More than 6,000 members of the Democratic Party of Ivory coast (PDCI) will assemble in Abidjan on Saturday for an extraordinary congress. There, the strongest opposition force in the country will elect its new leader. The favorite in the running is Tidjane Thiam, former CEO at Credit Suisse.

The Ivorian-French top manager has a good chance of winning the party leadership. He pulled out all the stops during the election campaign. Aside from appearing in the Ivorian media on a regular basis, the former top banker has also been working hard to impress potential voters on his YouTube channel «Tidjane Thiam TV» and on Instagram.

He also has the support of African sporting legends. In a recent social media post, former star striker for FC Barcelona, Samuel Eto'o, put in a good word for Thiam. Just like in Cameroon, football is the most popular sport in the Ivory Coast as well.

New Hope for Many Ivorians

«I will make the PDCI more modern, attractive and effective without losing sight of the goal of returning to power,» Thiam recently promised in front of thousands of supporters.

Since his return to his home country, the West African state has experienced something of a Thiam effect. Many Ivorians see him as the only candidate capable of challenging Alassane Ouattara, president of the Ivory Coast.

Long Hesitation

61-year-old Thiam hesitated for a long time before stepping into the political arena. But after the death of former head of state and PDCI President Henri Konan Bédié on August 1 of this year, the former Credit Suisse boss turned his attention more and more towards politics.

Thiam served under Bédié for many years. From 1994 to 1998, he worked alongside «the Sphinx of Daoukro». During his condolence visit to the Ivory Coast, Thiam gave his first interview on the Ivorian media since 1999, when the coup led by Robert Gueï cost him his ministerial post.

A Springboard to the Presidency

Grandnephew of Houphouët-Boigny, father of independence and founder of the party, the former top banker saw his opportunity to go on the offensive and take over the leadership.

For him, the party leadership is the springboard to stand for the presidential office in the future as well. The presidential elections will take place in 2025. If Thiam is elected now, he would have to revitalize the PDCI if he wants to succeed Ouattara. After years of party infighting over power, the PDCI is severely weakened.

Afraid of Spying

There is no love lost between Ouattara and Thiam, both strong personalities. And now the egos are laid bare. According to the Ivorian media, stories are trickling through from Thiam’s side that there are fears that the ruling power wanted to spy on Thiam. This is not without a certain irony, since the «spygate» affair cost Thiam his CEO post at Credit Suisse in 2020.

Thiam, who, just like Ouattara, is close to French President Emmanuel Macron, has the advantage of being younger than the Ivorian president, who will be 83 years old if he stands for a fourth term in office, which would be just as unconstitutional as the third.

Fled at the First Gunshot

Above all, the former top manager is viewed as a new hope for young people in the Ivory Coast. But even if he is to become party leader of the PDCI now, there is still a long way to go until the top job. The party has not won an election since the end of the 1990s unless it was in coalition with the government.

Thiam is also not without controversy. Some Ivorian politicians reproach him for fleeing the country at the first Kalashnikov shot during the 1999 coup. He is also criticized for his French-Ivorian dual nationality and relationship with Macron.