Opposition figures barred from poll

Four prominent opposition figures in Ivory Coast have been excluded from the final electoral list, officials announced yesterday, leaving them ineligible to contest Presidential elections later this year. The Citizen reports that Tidjane Thiam, leader of the main opposition party, the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI), was struck from the voters roll in April after a court ruling cast doubt on his Ivorian nationality at the time of registration. Ex-President Laurent Gbagbo, his former right-hand man Charles Ble Goude and exiled former Prime Minister Guillaume Soro have been barred for years over past convictions and were not reinstated. None of the four will be able to run in the 25 October Presidential race or vote. President Alassane Ouattara, who has been in power since 2011, is included on the electoral register, but has yet to announce if he will seek a fourth term.

Full report in The Citizen