Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara, has been declared re-elected for a controversial third term on the river score of 94.27% of the votes in the first round according to the Independent Electoral Commission on Monday night.
A high score due to the boycott of the ballot by the opposition.
“Is therefore elected President of the Republic Mr. Alassane Ouattara,” said the President of the CIS, Ibrahime Coulibaly-Kuibiert, after reading the scores. The participation rate is 53.90%.
Ouattara, 78, remains defiant on the third term bid which has been cause of controversy across the West Africa country.
Pre-election clashes killed at least 30 and anti-Ouattara protests have stoked fears of a repeat of a crisis a decade ago when 3,000 people died in fighting after then-president Laurent Gbagbo refused to accept defeat by Ouattara.
Hours before the results, the opposition said they would create a transitional government, insisting Ouattara’s mandate was over as he had broken the country’s two-term presidential limit.
Ouattara, a former IMF economist first elected in 2010, says a 2016 reform allowed him to run again.
“The opposition parties and groups announce the creation of a council of national transition,” Pascal Affi N’Guessan told reporters on Monday night. “This council’s mission will be to… create a transitional government within the next few hours.”
He said it would work to hold “a fair, transparent and inclusive presidential election”.
“Keeping Mr Ouattara as head of state could lead to civil war,” he added.
There was no immediate response from the government over the opposition announcement.
Streets in the economic capital Abidjan were mostly deserted late Monday night.
Activists and residents said shots or small detonations were fired outside the homes of two opposition leaders in the city, though no one was injured.
Opposition figures had already rejected Saturday’s ballot and called for a “civilian transition” from Ouattara, provoking a warning from his ruling party against trying to stir up unrest.
