Abidjan, Ivory Coast
AP
—
Opinion polls began in Ivory Coast on Saturday to elect a new leader as longtime president Alassane Ouattara seeks a fourth term after leading candidates were barred from running.
Polling stations opened just after 8 a.m. Japan time after initial delays. Approximately 8.7 million people have registered to vote. Voter turnout in the past two elections was just over 50%.
The election is the latest example of older men continuing to hold power in Africa, which has the world’s youngest population. Cameroon’s Paul Biya, 92, Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni, 81, and Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Mbasogo, 83, are other older African leaders still in power.
There are five candidates competing for Ivory Coast’s top job, but many expect the 83-year-old Ouattara, the world’s largest cocoa producer, to retain his seat. If he wins, his reign will be extended by almost 20 years. Ouattara’s party, the Rally of the Hufetists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP), also holds a majority with 169 of the 255 seats in parliament.
Ouattara has overseen the country’s economic reconstruction since the civil war, achieving 6% annual growth on the back of a cocoa boom. However, 37.5% of the country’s 30 million people still live in poverty and jobs are scarce for young people.
Preparations for the election have been marred by protests over the exclusion of key candidates who could pose a challenge to Mr Ouattara’s ambitions. The final list of registered candidates did not include Tidjane Thiam, a former Credit Suisse executive, and Laurent Gbagbo, a former candidate who still enjoys the support of a large portion of the electorate.
Their supporters took to the streets, hundreds were arrested and dozens were jailed. This raises concerns about past election crises that killed at least 3,000 people in 2010 and 2011 and nearly 100 in 2020.
The government also restricted gatherings of people except those from the five political parties participating in the election and deployed more than 40,000 security personnel across the country.
Ouattara denied cracking down on the opposition.
Ouattara has faced less scrutiny from the international community and his longtime partner, former colonial power France.
“The geopolitical situation is favorable to him,” said Severin Yao Kouame, a research professor at the country’s Bouake University.
Kouame said the international community and long-time partner and former colonial power France now have other priorities.
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Four candidates are challenging Ouattara, including former first lady Simone Gbagbo and Jean-Louis Billion, who served as trade minister under Ouattara. They all promise jobs and new agricultural policies. Analysts say the other four candidates are unlikely to win.
“The growth has been huge, but we need to continue,” Ouattara told supporters at his last rally in Abidjan on Thursday.
Ouattara, a former deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund, is beloved by supporters for his investments in the public sector and infrastructure.
Vote counting will begin immediately after voting closes, with provisional results expected within 48 hours.
