ABIDJAN (Reuters) -Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara has secured a fourth term with a commanding re-election win, according to provisional results announced by the electoral commission on Monday
The 83-year-old former international banker won 89.77% of the vote, his third consecutive decisive victory after the much closer election that brought him to power in 2011.
His predecessor, Laurent Gbagbo, refused to acknowledge defeat in that race, sparking a four-month war that killed around 3,000 people.
Ouattara has since overseen a period of relative stability and steady economic growth in the world’s biggest cocoa producer.
The turnout of around 50% was comparable to the presidential elections in 2010 and 2015 but far below the 80% who voted in the first round in 2010.
Gbagbo and Tidjane Thiam, former CEO of Credit Suisse, were not legally permitted to run this year, and the remaining opposition candidates lacked the backing of a major political party, making Ouattara the clear favourite.
The results are expected to be validated by the Constitutional Council in the coming days.
(Reporting by Robbie Corey-Boulet)
Comments