In Ivory Coast, during a press conference held on Monday, April 28, 2025, in Abidjan-Plateau, the Director of Civil and Criminal Affairs, Mr. Kouamé Augustin, sought to clear up any confusion regarding the status of PDCI-RDA president Tidjane Thiam.
“Mr. Thiam has never been stateless and is not stateless, as he is, without any dispute, Ivorian according to the Ivorian Nationality Code,” he stated. This clarification comes amid questions that had arisen following Mr. Thiam’s removal from the electoral roll and his renunciation of French nationality.
According to Mr. Kouamé, Tidjane Thiam, who was naturalized French in March 1987, officially renounced his French citizenship on March 19, 2025. Contrary to some speculation, this decision did not leave him stateless but rather automatically reactivated his original Ivorian nationality.
Mr. Kouamé explained that, according to the principle of parallelism of forms, the loss of Ivorian nationality following the acquisition of another nationality is annulled once the latter is relinquished. Thus, no administrative procedure is required to recover one’s original nationality. “Mr. Thiam is Ivorian by attribution, not by acquisition. His French naturalization never severed the legal bond with his Ivorian lineage,” he emphasized.
In conclusion, the Director of Civil and Criminal Affairs stated that any request for reinstatement to Ivorian nationality would be unfounded in Mr. Thiam’s case. Since March 19, 2025—the date on which he renounced his allegiance to France—his Ivorian nationality has been fully restored, in accordance with current Ivorian law.