Ankara: A court in Ivory Coast ordered the removal Tuesday of the main opposition leader from the electoral roll, declaring him ineligible to stand in October's presidential election. The Court of First Instance of Abidjan-Plateau stated that Tidjane Thiam, the president of the opposition Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI), forfeited his Ivory Coast nationality upon acquiring French citizenship in 1987.

According to Anadolu Agency, the ruling was issued just a week after the PDCI had endorsed Thiam as their candidate for the presidential election scheduled for October 25. Thiam expressed strong disapproval of the court's decision, labeling it as 'unfair, unjustified, and incomprehensible.'

Thiam further alleged that activists from the ruling Rally of the Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP) party orchestrated what he described as a 'political decision' cloaked as a judicial proceeding. The RHDP has yet to announce its candidate for the upcoming election, although incumbent President Alassane Ouattara is anticipated to run for a third term.

The political landscape in Ivory Coast is already tense, with former President Laurent Gbagbo and three other significant political figures barred from entering the presidential race. Thiam, who previously held the position of chief executive at Credit Suisse, served as planning minister in 1998 under the PDCI government before it was toppled in a coup the following year.