Ivorians were voting Saturday between incumbent President Alassane Ouatarra, the overwhelming favourite seeking a fourth term in power, and an opposition hobbled by the barring of leading candidates.
Ouattara, 83, has wielded power in the world’s top cocoa producer since 2011, when the country began reasserting itself as a west African economic powerhouse.
Turnout will be key. Nearly nine million Ivorians are eligible to vote in the polls, which close at 6:00 pm (1800 GMT), choosing between five contenders, including Ouattara, who is hoping to avoid a run-off.
“The life of a nation depends on voting, it’s the only motivation for me,” Ibrahim Diakite, a bus driver who was casting his ballot in a pro-Ouattara suburb of Abidjan, told AFP.
But Ouattara’s leading rivals — former president Laurent Gbagbo and former Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam — have been barred from standing, the former for a criminal conviction and the latter for acquiring French nationality.