Ouattara Heads for Fourth Term amid Boycott, Tension over Legitimacy of Ivory Coast Election
President Alassane Ouattara appeared poised for a fourth consecutive term on Sunday, as early results from Ivory Coast’s presidential election indicated a sweeping victory despite low voter turnout and the exclusion of key opposition contenders.
Preliminary tallies from the country’s northern regions, Ouattara’s political stronghold, showed the 83-year-old incumbent winning over 90 percent of the vote, with participation nearing full turnout in some areas. He also made unexpected inroads in parts of the south and the economic capital, Abidjan, where polling stations recorded sparse activity on Saturday.
The Independent Electoral Commission is expected to release full regional results later Sunday, with nationwide totals due before Monday morning.
“We are seeing a very clear divide between the north and the south,” said Simon Doho, leader of the opposition Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI). “Doubts can be raised about the legitimacy of a president elected under these conditions,” he added, citing the low participation rate.
Commission president Ibrahime Coulibaly-Kuibiert estimated voter turnout at about 50 percent, similar to the 2020 poll, when Ouattara secured 94 percent of votes in an election largely boycotted by the opposition.
This year’s race was marked by controversy even before voting began. Two major challengers, former president Laurent Gbagbo and former Credit Suisse chief Tidjane Thiam, were disqualified. Gbagbo was barred over a past criminal conviction, while Thiam was ruled ineligible for holding dual nationality.
With both excluded, Ouattara faced only minor challengers lacking national political machinery or major party backing, making his reelection almost certain.
Despite an overall calm election day, isolated violence marred the process. The Interior Ministry reported disturbances at about 200 polling stations across the country. Clashes erupted in parts of the south and west but “had no major impact on the voting process,” said Interior Minister Vagondo Diomande.
Security sources confirmed that two people, a 13-year-old boy in Gregbeu and a Burkinabe national in Gadouan, were killed during election-related unrest. Twenty-two others sustained injuries, including one in critical condition.
In total, six people have died during the month-long election period, prompting the government to impose night curfews in restive areas and deploy 44,000 security personnel nationwide.
Authorities also banned public demonstrations, and several dozen protesters have been sentenced to three years in prison for disturbing public order.
After polls closed, a beaming Ouattara appeared before jubilant supporters at his party’s Abidjan headquarters, thanking them for what he called “a peaceful and successful election.”
If confirmed, the result will extend Ouattara’s leadership of the world’s top cocoa-producing nation, which he has governed since 2011, a period that has seen both economic revival and persistent political fractures.
