A court in Ivory Coast has adjourned an elective congress of the country’s foremost opposition party in which Tidjane Thiam, the former chief executive of Credit Suisse, was among the contenders for the presidency.
The court of first instance in the capital, Abidjan ordered the suspension of the congress on Friday. It was previously planned for Saturday to be the day for the election of a new Democratic Party leader before a presidential election in 2025.
The ruling is coming after an urgent request from two senior party members, claiming opacity and irregularities in the organisation of the congress.
The complaints were not immediately aimed at Thiam, but the plaintiffs remarked that a day before the congress, they were not given the names of the shortlisted candidates for the presidency nor the names of party members who will be voting.
The court stood with the plaintiffs and called for the suspension of the congress.
The winner of the contest to lead the Democratic Party stands the chance of being the party’s candidate in the presidential election.
Thiam’s campaign team had in a statement on Saturday, said that policemen had barricaded the hotel in Abidjan where the congress was slated to hold. It encouraged supporters to steer clear the area and await further instructions from the party.
