Tidjane Thiam, the former CEO of Credit Suisse, has been officially selected to represent the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast in the upcoming presidential election this October, securing 99.5% of the internal party vote.
Running unopposed, Thiam faced no rivals within the party and will now prepare to compete for the presidency against candidates who have yet to be announced. His nomination follows his return to Ivorian politics after years in the international financial sector.
Thiam resigned from Credit Suisse in 2020 amid a corporate espionage scandal that rocked the Swiss banking giant. However, an independent investigation later cleared him of any wrongdoing.
As the campaign season begins to take shape, attention is also turning to current President Alassane Ouattara. Re-elected in 2020 in a contentious vote boycotted by opposition parties and marked by violence, Ouattara has suggested he may run again, though no formal declaration has been made.
With the October polls approaching, Thiam and other potential contenders are expected to step up their political activity in what could become a heated race for the presidency.