The electoral commission of Ivory Coast has announced President Alassane Ouattara of the Rally of the Republicans as the winner of the just-concluded and highly controversial October 31 elections. President Ouattara reportedly scored 94.27 per cent of the vote, which had a 54 per cent voter turnout. Opposition candidates Pascal Affi N’Guessan and Kouadio Konan Berti both scored 2% of the vote while former president Henri Konan Bédié scored 1%, according to the announcement.
Issues to Consider for Ivory Coast
- The announcement of the results could spark further violence in Ivory Coast where tensions have been high since the incumbent’s decision to run for a third term in office. Recall that a crisis erupted following a disputed election in 2010 which killed more than 3,000 people. A repeat of history in Ivory Coast is the popular concern.
- Wide spread violence and reports of voter suppression and intimidation point towards a highly flawed election. The BBC reports that 23% of polling stations had not opened at all due to threats or attacks and that in 5% of polling stations, observers reported threats or intimidation of election officials.
- Opposition parties had called on their supporters to boycott the polls. It has not been proven whether this admonition affected voter turnout or the votes received by opposition candidates.
- Major opposition parties have vowed to shun the official results and form a transitional government, insisting President Alassane Ouattara’s mandate to lead the country “is now over”. How they intend to proceed with the plan has not been made clear yet.
- Out of the 44 candidates who ran for presidential office, only 3 were women.
Next Steps for Cote d’Ivoire
The country’s constitutional council have to validate the results, then a final winner will be declared after hearing any challenges or complaints of irregularities. It remains to see whether members of the opposition will approach the courts or resort to forming their own government.
