President Alassane Ouattara has secured a fourth term in office after winning a landslide victory in the Ivory Coast’s just-concluded presidential election.
The country’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), announcing provisional results on Monday, said the 83-year-old leader polled 89.77 per cent of the total votes cast.
His main rivals, former commerce minister Jean-Louis Billon and ex-first lady Simone Gbagbo, trailed far behind with 3.09 per cent and 2.42 per cent respectively, according to IEC chairman, Ibrahime Coulibaly-Kuibiert.
Billon conceded defeat on Sunday, while Simone Gbagbo was reported to have congratulated Ouattara over his electoral success.
The outcome, however, came as little surprise to many Ivorians, following the disqualification of several heavyweight contenders, including former president Laurent Gbagbo and ex-Credit Suisse chief executive, Tidjane Thiam.
In a reaction, Thiam dismissed the process as “not a real election”, alleging that the vote took place in a climate of fear with weak participation.
Ouattara, a former deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has long been credited with overseeing steady economic growth in the country during his nearly 15-year rule.
The Ivorian leader, who has now entrenched his place among West Africa’s longest-serving leaders, maintained that this would be his last presidential race.
With this victory, Ouattara joins the ranks of Africa’s long-serving heads of state, though he remains far behind Cameroon’s Paul Biya, who at 92 years old recently secured an eighth consecutive term after 43 years in office.
Biya is the world’s oldest president and Africa’s second-longest-serving leader, after President Teodoro Nguema of Equatorial Guinea.
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