Ivory Coast’s President, Alassane Ouattara, has secured a fourth term in office after winning a commanding 89.77 percent of the votes in Saturday’s presidential election, according to results announced by the country’s electoral commission on Monday.
The election, however, was marked by controversy as Ouattara’s two major rivals, former President Laurent Gbagbo and former Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam were barred from contesting. Gbagbo was disqualified due to a criminal conviction, while Thiam was excluded over his French nationality.
Nearly nine million Ivorians were eligible to vote in the poll, held in the world’s leading cocoa-producing nation. Despite concerns over tensions and sporadic violence before the vote, the election proceeded without major disruption. Turnout was 50.1 percent, similar to the 2020 election with Ouattara sweeping his northern strongholds and even outperforming in traditional opposition areas in the south and parts of Abidjan.
Entrepreneur Jean-Louis Billon finished a distant second with 3.09 percent of the vote, while other candidates, including former First Lady Simone Ehivet Gbagbo, failed to make significant inroads due to limited political backing and resources.
Analysts say the results reflect both the strong mobilization of Ouattara’s supporters and widespread voter apathy among opposition supporters. “The turnout rate shows two things,” said political analyst Geoffroy Kouao. “Ouattara’s supporters turned out in force, and backers of the opposition largely stayed home.”
The opposition has rejected the results, declaring Ouattara’s victory illegitimate and calling for fresh elections.
The tense political climate has already led to unrest. At least eight people were killed and nearly two dozen injured in clashes around polling stations earlier this month. Authorities deployed 44,000 security personnel and imposed curfews in several areas to maintain order.
Ouattara, who first rose to power after a deadly post-election crisis in 2010–2011 that claimed over 3,000 lives, is now set to extend his long tenure at the helm of Ivorian politics.
By Monday, Abidjan had returned to near-normal activity after a quiet weekend. “The Ivorians said NO to prophets of doom,” declared Patriote, a pro-Ouattara newspaper, hailing what it called “a calm election.” Meanwhile, the opposition paper Notre Voie described the poll as “an election reflecting a divided country.”
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