Ivorians vote as 83-year-old Ouattara seeks fourth term amid opposition setback

Ivorians went to the polls on Saturday as President Alassane Ouattara, 83, looked to secure a fourth term in office against a weakened opposition whose top figures have been barred from running.

Ouattara, who has led the world’s largest cocoa producer since 2011, remains the dominant figure in the West African nation’s political landscape. Nearly nine million citizens are registered to vote in the election, which will decide among five candidates. Polls close at 6:00 pm (1800 GMT).

“The life of a nation depends on voting, it’s the only motivation for me,” said Ibrahim Diakite, a bus driver casting his ballot in a pro-Ouattara suburb of Abidjan.

However, the president’s most formidable challengers — ex-leader Laurent Gbagbo and former Credit Suisse chief Tidjane Thiam — were disqualified from running, the former due to a criminal conviction and the latter over French citizenship.

READ ALSO:Cameroon votes as 92-year-old President Paul Biya seeks 8th term in office 

Authorities have deployed 44,000 security personnel and imposed night-time curfews in parts of the country after opposition calls for protests led to sporadic unrest and fatalities in recent days.

“In previous years, there were more tensions than this year,” noted Mamadou Bamba, an unemployed man in his fifties in Abobo.“We are voting today in peace. Our hope is for the day to pass without incident,” added Severine Kouakou, 46, in Bouake, the nation’s second-largest city.

Analysts predict few surprises in the outcome. “It is hard to imagine any surprise at the end of this election… since opposition heavyweights aren’t present,” said Gilles Yabi of the Wathi think tank.

Four people, including a police officer, have died in recent unrest, and an electoral commission office was torched earlier this week. Demonstrations have been banned, and dozens have received three-year prison sentences for disturbing the peace.

Security forces have been stationed across the country of 30 million, particularly in southern and western opposition strongholds. A curfew remains in effect in Yamoussoukro, the political capital, amid fears of renewed violence like that seen in the 2020 election, when 85 people were killed.

“I ask you to closely monitor your neighbourhoods… We must be ready to protect Ivory Coast,” Ouattara urged supporters during his final campaign rally.

“The election is frightening, but we dare to believe there will be more fear than harm,” said Ibrahime Kuibiert Coulibaly, head of the Independent Electoral Commission.

Former president Gbagbo has denounced the election as a “civilian coup d’etat” and “electoral robbery,” saying, “Those who could have won have been eliminated. I do not accept this.”

Among the four approved challengers are former trade minister and agri-businessman Jean-Louis Billon, 60; former first lady Simone Ehivet Gbagbo, 76; engineer and Pan-Africanist Ahoua Don Mello; and centrist Henriette Lagou, who previously ran in 2015 but won less than one percent of the vote.

Ouattara first came to power after a bloody 2010–2011 standoff with Gbagbo that left more than 3,000 people dead. His government points to years of economic growth and relative stability, though critics say the benefits have not been evenly shared and the cost of living continues to rise.

Nearly 1,000 local observers and 251 monitors from ECOWAS and the African Union are overseeing the polls. Preliminary results are expected early next week.