The leader of Ivory Coast's main opposition party, Tidjane Thiam, who was excluded from the October presidential election along with three other opponents, denounced on Wednesday that "Ivory Coast is drifting towards a total lack of democracy."

The final electoral list published Wednesday confirms the removal of Mr. Thiam and three other opponents, including former President Laurent Gbagbo, who wish to be candidates in the October 25 presidential election. None of them will be able to run, or even vote.

Tidjane Thiam was removed from the electoral roll in April, following a court ruling calling into question his Ivorian nationality at the time of his registration.

"My removal from the electoral roll by the Independent Electoral Commission is a sad but eloquent example of Côte d'Ivoire's slide towards a total lack of democracy," Tidjane Thiam wrote in a statement.

"These attacks on democracy must stop and the government must guarantee free, fair and inclusive elections in October," he added.

Mr. Thiam has also referred the matter to the United Nations Human Rights Committee, the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI), which he leads, announced on Tuesday evening.

The authorities, for their part, reject any political intervention in the electoral process, assuring that they respect decisions taken by an independent judiciary.