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Is Ivory Coast's red card politics an own goal for democracy after Tidjane Thiam's ban

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Tidjane Thiam's bid to become president of Ivory Coast hit by court ruling.

Judge ruled that he had lost his Ivorian citizenship by taking French nationality decades ago .

Thiam had been seen as a potential contender to succeed head of state Alassane Ouattara .

He had impressed as a top government official and minister in the 1990s .

Ivory Coast only permits dual nationality under certain limited conditions.

Thiam 's lawyers argued that, through his father, Thiam had French nationality from birth.

But a court ruled that he had automatically lost his Ivorian citizenship almost four decades ago .

Thursday could bring yet another setback in a scheduled court hearing where a judge may now rule that Thiam cannot lead the PDCI .