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[QUOTE="Munyaradzi Mafaro, post: 34351, member: 636"]
Tidjane Thiam plans to run for president in Ivory Coast this October. He recently gave up his French citizenship to qualify as the only candidate for the main opposition party, PDCI. The 62-year-old has lived outside Ivory Coast for about twenty years, making him less familiar to many voters. Political experts believe he needs a strong campaign to win over the public, who barely know him.

Current President Alassane Ouattara, age 83, might seek a fourth term representing the ruling RHDP party. Officials have blocked three other notable candidates, including former President Laurent Gbagbo, from entering the race. Thiam started his career with impressive academic achievements, becoming the first Ivorian accepted into France's elite Polytechnique engineering school.

He served as planning minister at age 36 until a coup removed his party from power in 1999. Afterward, Thiam built a successful international business career, becoming the first Black CEO of a FTSE 100 company when he led Prudential. His time at Credit Suisse ended badly in 2020 following accusations he spied on colleagues, which he denies. Thiam comes from a politically connected family—his great-uncle was Ivory Coast's first president, Félix Houphouët-Boigny.
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