Supporters of Ivory Coast's main opposition party are set to demonstrate outside courts on Thursday to protest the removal of their candidate from an upcoming presidential election.
An Abidjan court on Tuesday struck Tidjane Thiam off the electoral list -- a decision that cannot be appealed and rules him out of standing in the October 25 vote.
The court said Thiam had lost Ivorian nationality when he acquired French citizenship in 1987.
Other political opposition figures, such as former president Laurent Gbagbo, are also excluded from the race due to judicial rulings.
On Wednesday, a representative of the Democratic Party deputies, Simon Doho, called for a nationwide mobilisation.
"Throughout the country, every Ivorian, wherever they are, will march in front of the courthouse in their region, in their city," he said in a video.
"There is no peace in Ivory Coast, there is a situation of tension, there is an anti-democratic situation, there is a denial of democracy."
In Abidjan, the economic capital with a population of six million, the march is planned for Thursday at 9:00 am local time (0900 GMT) from the party's headquarters to the nearby courthouse.
In Ivory Coast, demonstrations can take place with police authorisation, but are almost systematically refused.
"Disorder will not be tolerated," government spokesman Amadou Coulibaly said after a cabinet meeting, adding that this was "not a threat, we can consider it a recommendation".
Thiam, who is currently in France, had told AFP in a telephone interview Wednesday that his party would not present another candidate for the election.
"It's me or no one," Thiam said, adding he intended to take his case to the court of the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS.
"And we are going to continue to fight on the ground and to show those in power that this is a decision that is bad for Ivory Coast," Thiam told AFP.
The Abidjan court based its ruling on article 48 of the nationality code, dating from the 1960s, which states that the acquisition of another nationality means Ivorian citizenship is lost.
Born in Ivory Coast, Thiam acquired French nationality in 1987 but gave it up in March to stand in the election, as candidates cannot have dual nationality.
"I maintain that this law has not been enforced in 64 years. Every day there are Ivorians who take another nationality for varied reasons," Thiam said.
His supporters have condemned the ruling as "political" and aimed at barring him from the election, but the ruling party says it was not involved in the decision.
With AFP
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