The Ivorian Electoral Commission has announced Ivory Coast President, Alassane Ouattara has won a third term in office with 94.27 percent of the vote in an election which opposition voters boycotted.
“Thus elected president of the republic, Alassane Ouattara,” Kuibiert-Coulibaly Ibrahime, the head of the Electoral Commission announced on 3rd November.
He revealed the final turnout for the October 31 election was at 53.90 percent of registered voters.
The results have to be validated by the country’s constitutional council which will declare the final winner after hearing any challenges or complaints of irregularities.
The two main opposition candidates on the ballot had asked supporters not to take part in Saturday’s election, in protest at Ouattara’s decision to run.
Opposition activists say Ouattara’s decision to seek a third term was a further blow to democracy in West Africa less than three months after a military coup in neighbouring Mali and a successful third term bid by Guinea’s President, Alpha Conde.
President Ouattara, 78, received more than 90 percent of votes in most districts, although the opposition said his bid was an illegal attempt to hold onto power.
The Ivorian constitution limits presidents to two terms, but the President claims the approval of a new constitution in 2016 allowed him to restart his mandate.
The disagreement led to clashes in the lead up to the vote, in which at least 30 people died. Officials also reported that at least five more were killed on Election Day.
The Carter Center, which monitored October 31st election, said the political and security situation made it difficult to organise a credible vote.
“The electoral process excluded a large number of Ivorian political forces and was boycotted by part of the population in a volatile security environment,” it said in a statement.
The opposition candidates who boycotted the vote – former President Henri Konan Bedie and ex-Prime Minister Pascal Affi N’Guessan – have said they will not recognise Ouattara’s victory.
They got 2% and 1% respectively, while a fourth candidate, Kouadio Konan Bertin, also got 2%, according to the official results.
In a joint statement issued earlier, they announced the creation of a transitional council presided by Bedie.
“The council will have a mission to prepare the framework for a credible and transparent presidential election. It will name a government in the coming hours,” N’Guessan said in a news conference.
Meanwhile, authorities have accused the opposition of “plotting against the authority of the state”.
“The government has asked the Abidjan public prosecutor for the authors and accomplices of these offences to be brought to justice,” Justice Minister, Sansan Kambile told a press conference.
The goal, he said, was to “prepare the framework for a fair, transparent and inclusive presidential election”.
Kambile said “this statement, as well as violence perpetrated as a result of the boycott, constitute acts of assault and plotting against the authority of the state and national territorial integrity”.
Quizzed as to whether this meant opposition leaders would be arrested, Kambile replied, “All options are on the table. The prosecutor will be able to quietly consider all the options at his disposal.”
