Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara has clinched a fourth term in office after an election marred by controversy and opposition boycotts.
According to provisional results released by the electoral commission on Monday, the 83-year-old leader won a commanding 89.8% of the vote. His nearest rival, businessman Jean-Louis Billon, trailed far behind with 3.09%.
The outcome was widely anticipated after two major contenders — former President Laurent Gbagbo and former Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam — were barred from contesting and called on their supporters to boycott the polls. Voter turnout was 50.1%, officials said.
Simone Gbagbo, the ex-wife of the former president, who was cleared to run, received 2.42% of the vote.
Opposition parties aligned with Gbagbo and Thiam denounced the election as a “civilian coup d’état” and declared they would not recognise Ouattara’s victory.
Ouattara first came to power in 2011 after Gbagbo’s arrest for refusing to concede defeat in the 2010 election. Although the Ivorian constitution initially limited presidents to two terms, a 2016 constitutional revision allowed Ouattara to run again in 2020 — a vote that was also boycotted by the opposition.
The Constitutional Council will announce the final results after addressing any legal challenges.
