The electoral commission in Ivory Coast has declared President Alassane Ouattara the winner of last weekend’s presidential election...
The electoral commission in Ivory Coast has declared President Alassane Ouattara the winner of last weekend’s presidential election in the country. According to the commission, Ouattara won a second five-year term with nearly 84% of the votes.
The election was attended by some controversy as several opposition candidates pulled out of the campaign, complaining that it was not free and fair.
According to the BBC, Ouattara required more than 50% of the vote to avoid a run-off in last weekend’s poll. His closest opposition rival, Pascal Affi N’Guessan, however got just 9% of the total valid votes.
Ouattara’s campaign this year centred around his economic programme even though critics have accused him of failing to foster reconciliation or reduce poverty.
Ouattara’s first emergence as president after the elections in 2010 was also bitterly contested and resulted in a civil war in which 3,000 people lost their lives.
In 2010, Ouattara had defeated the incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo, whose subsequent refusal to step down triggered months of violence in which thousands of people were killed.
Story: BBC
