Ivory Coast’s Constitutional Council has formally excluded two prominent opposition figures—former President Laurent Gbagbo and ex-Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam—from the upcoming presidential election, reshaping the political landscape just weeks before the October 25 vote.

The Council cited both men's removal from the electoral roll as grounds for disqualification. Thiam, leader of the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI), was struck off in April due to nationality-related legal issues stemming from his acquisition of French citizenship. Gbagbo, head of the African Peoples’ Party–Côte d'Ivoire (PPA-CI), was barred due to a past criminal conviction.

Despite submitting formal candidacies, both men were deemed “inadmissible” under electoral law, which requires candidates to hold valid voter status. The Council’s president, Chantal Nanaba Camara, emphasized that eligibility hinges on being listed on the electoral register.

President Alassane Ouattara, 83, is seeking a fourth term, a move critics argue violates constitutional term limits. Ouattara has maintained that a 2016 constitutional revision reset the count, allowing him to run again.

With Gbagbo and Thiam out of the race, five candidates remain, including former First Lady Simone Ehivet Gbagbo, and former ministers Jean-Louis Billon, Ahoua Don Mello, and Henriette Lagou. 

Thiam, speaking from abroad, criticized the decision as an “organized plebiscite” for the incumbent president, warning that the vote risks becoming a coronation rather than a democratic contest.

The final candidate list comes just over a month before the official campaign period begins on October 10.