President Alassane Ouattara
By agency reports
83 years old Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara has secured a fourth term in office.
The electoral commission announced on Monday that he won a decisive 89.77 per cent of the votes.
Electoral commission Chairman, Ibrahime Coulibaly, announced that Ouattara’s closest challenger, entrepreneur Jean-Louis Billon finished second with 3.09 per cent of the vote,
The President’s two main rivals were barred from contesting.
Ouattara’s main challengers, former President Laurent Gbagbo and former Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam, were both barred from running.
Gbagbo was banned due to a criminal conviction and Thiam for holding a French citizenship.
The elections held on Saturday saw over nine million eligible voters cast their ballots.
The former West African French colony has largely remained stable, avoiding the coups and jihadist violence affecting much of the sub-region.
However, tensions rose sharply, and deadly violence broke out in the lead-up to the election.
Even before the provisional results were released, Ouattara was tipped to win by a landslide.
Early tallies on Sunday showed him securing over 90 per cent of the vote.
Voter turnout was nearly 100 percent in his northern strongholds.
Ouattara also led in traditionally opposition-leaning areas in the south and parts of Abidjan, the economic capital.
Polling stations were largely empty in the capital on Saturday.
The voter turnout stood at 50.10 per cent similar to the 2020 election, when Ouattara won 94 per cent amid an opposition boycott.
“Their exclusion, their calls for a boycott, and the tense atmosphere leading up to the polls contributed to a major decline in voter participation,” noted William Assanvo, a researcher at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS).
In Gagnoa, Gbagbo’s former southern stronghold, Ouattara secured 92 per cent of the vote, but turnout was just 20 per cent.
The opposition has however since rejected Ouattara’s victory as illegitimate and is demanding fresh elections.
Africa is home to some of the world’s longest ruling leaders.
They include the oldest, 92-year-old Cameroonian President Paul Biya, who is currently battling a controversial re-election bid.
This development is being condemned by observers and critics as a threat to democracy.
