Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara has won a fourth term in office, the electoral commission announced on Monday, in provisional results of the election.
With 89.7% of the vote, the 83-year-old is set to extend his rule to almost two decades.
Ouattara’s two major rivals, former Credit Suisse executive Tidjane Thiam and Ouattara’s predecessor, Laurent Gbagbo, were barred from running.
Entrepreneur Jean-Louis Billon, who had already congratulated Ouattara on Sunday, came in second place with about 3%, according to Electoral Commission president Ibrahim Cuibiert Coulibaly. Former first lady Simone Gbagbo came in third place with 2.4% under provisional results.
The provisional results will now be reviewed by the Constitutional Council, which has five days to declare the final results.
Another low turnout in Ivory Coast’s presidential election
About 8.5 million people were registered to vote. However, turnout was low and only about 50% of voters turned out to vote.
Voter turnout was similar in 2020, when Ouattara won 94% of the vote in elections boycotted by the opposition.
This time, Ouattara was the clear favorite because his main rivals – Gbagbo and Thiam – were not legally allowed to run.
Thiam was removed from the electoral list due to having obtained French nationality. Gbagbo was barred from standing due to criminal convictions.
Protests against the boycott in early October led to the arrest of hundreds of activists and reports of several unidentified abductions.
The Ivorian Human Rights Commission reported six deaths linked to the election.
Edited by: Louis Olofse