Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara has secured a fourth term in office, winning a landslide 89.77 percent of the votes in a presidential election from which his two main rivals were barred, the country’s electoral commission announced on Monday.

Nearly nine million voters were eligible to cast their ballots on Saturday in the West African nation — the world’s top cocoa producer which has largely remained stable amid coups and jihadist violence affecting neighboring countries. However, tensions had been high in the lead-up to the polls, marked by sporadic unrest and calls for a boycott.

Even before the official results, early tallies on Sunday had suggested a sweeping victory for Ouattara, with turnout approaching 100 percent in his northern strongholds. He also performed strongly in southern and urban opposition areas, including parts of Abidjan, where voter turnout was notably low.

Entrepreneur Jean-Louis Billon came a distant second with 3.09 percent, according to Ibrahime Kuibiert Coulibaly, president of the electoral commission, who reported an overall turnout of 50.10 percent — roughly the same as in 2020, when Ouattara claimed 94 percent in a boycotted election.

This time, Ouattara’s two leading rivals — former president Laurent Gbagbo and former Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam — were disqualified from contesting. Gbagbo was barred due to a criminal conviction, while Thiam was deemed ineligible after acquiring French citizenship.

“Their absence, their calls not to participate in the election, and the climate of tension that deteriorated in recent days foretold a significant demobilisation of the electorate,” observed William Assanvo, a researcher at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS).

In Gagnoa, Gbagbo’s former stronghold, Ouattara reportedly won 92 percent of the vote, but turnout was just 20 percent.

The opposition has since rejected the outcome, describing the election as illegitimate and calling for a fresh poll.

AFP