Ivory Coast former minister seeks presidential nomination, challenges ex-banker Thiam

Jean-Louis Billon, former Ivory Coast trade minister, announced his bid to become the opposition PDCI party’s nominee for the 2025 presidential election, challenging current party leader and ex-Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam.

Billon’s decision could deepen divisions within the PDCI, which has struggled with internal conflicts since losing power in the late 1990s.

Thiam, who recently returned to Ivory Coast and secured the party’s leadership, is seen as a potential challenger to President Alassane Ouattara.

Billon, 59, urged for a fair, transparent PDCI convention to decide the party’s presidential candidate, free from favoritism and bias.