Côte d'Ivoire President Alassane Ouattara wins fourth term after election without main rivals
Kyiv • UNN
Alassane Ouattara won a fourth presidential term in Côte d'Ivoire, securing 89.8% of the votes with a turnout of 50.1%. His victory occurred without the participation of major opposition candidates, raising concerns about democratic processes.
Alassane Ouattara, the current president of Côte d'Ivoire, secured a landslide victory in the elections, receiving 89.8% of the votes and ensuring himself a fourth presidential term, which could extend his stay in power to 20 years. The voting took place without the participation of the main opposition candidates. This is reported by Bloomberg, writes UNN.
Details
According to the electoral commission, voter turnout was 50.1%, and 83-year-old Ouattara won in most districts of the country. The Côte d'Ivoire court banned former Credit Suisse head Tidjane Thiam from running due to his French citizenship at the time of registration, and former president Laurent Gbagbo was disqualified due to a criminal record.
Ouattara's victory solidifies his position as one of West Africa's longest-serving leaders. Since coming to power in 2011 after the civil war, he has made Côte d'Ivoire's economy one of the most dynamic on the continent – with an average GDP growth of about 6% per year. His government actively invests in infrastructure, energy, and the extractive industry, aiming to elevate the country to the level of upper-middle-income states by 2030.
Analysts, including François Conradie from Oxford Economics, note that the removal of strong opposition figures indicates "democratic imperfections" in the country, but acknowledge the stability and peace that Ouattara has maintained during his rule.
Following the announcement of his victory, the yield on Côte d'Ivoire's eurobonds maturing in 2036 fell by more than 100 basis points to 7.3%, indicating a positive reaction from investors. The country's credit rating from Moody's is Ba2, two notches below investment grade.