Ivory Coast’s President, Alassane Ouattara, has won a fourth term in office, securing a resounding 89.77 percent of votes in a contentious election held on Saturday. The country’s electoral commission announced the results on Monday.
Nearly nine million registered voters were eligible to participate in the polls, but turnout stood at 50.10 percent, similar to the 2020 elections, which the opposition boycotted. The latest election was marred by tensions, violence, and low voter turnout in opposition strongholds.
Ouattara’s closest challenger, Jean-Louis Billon, garnered just 3.09 percent of the vote. Major opposition figures — former President Laurent Gbagbo and ex-Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam — were barred from contesting. Gbagbo was disqualified due to a criminal conviction, while Thiam’s French nationality rendered him ineligible.
Analysts said the outcome reflected a deeply polarized nation. Political researcher William Assanvo of the Institute for Security Studies noted that “the absence of key opposition figures and the climate of fear discouraged many voters.”
In Gagnoa, Gbagbo’s traditional stronghold, Ouattara recorded 92 percent support, though only 20 percent of registered voters turned out.
The opposition has rejected the results, describing the process as illegitimate and calling for fresh elections.
Ahead of the vote, at least eight people were killed and several injured in clashes linked to opposition protests. Authorities imposed nighttime curfews in volatile areas and deployed 44,000 security personnel nationwide.
Despite the unrest, pro-government newspaper Patriote hailed the poll as “a calm election,” while opposition daily Notre Voie described it as evidence of “a divided country.”
Ouattara, who has led the cocoa-rich West African nation since 2011 following a post-election conflict that claimed over 3,000 lives, now faces renewed pressure to heal national divisions and restore confidence in the democratic process.
