By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The Constitutional Council in Ivory Coast on Tuesday confirmed the re-election of President Alassane Ouattara for a fourth term, following an 89.77-percent landslide victory in an election criticised by opposition as “sham”.
Ouattara, 83, won the west African country’s October 25 election amidst clampdown on opposition.
Candidates of two major political parties, ex-president Laurent Gbagbo and former Credit Suisse banker Tidjane Thiam were barred from running in the election through pronouncement of the courts.
“Mr Alassane Ouattara has been declared elected in the first round as President of the Republic of Ivory Coast,” President of the Constitutional Council, Chantal Nanaba Camara, said in Abidjan.
She said the court had “not received any complaints”, adding that “examination of the official reports reveals no irregularities that could undermine the integrity of the election or affect the result”.
The opposition has repeatedly accused the authorities of using the courts to bar Thiam and Gbagbo from the election.
Thiam was disqualified over issues around his nationality as he is alleged to have had French citizenship when he declared to run in the election.
Gbagbo was stopped over criminal conviction. The government insists that the judiciary acted independently.
In a post on X Tuesday, Ouattara thanked Ivorian voters for their “renewed confidence” in him.
Unlike previous elections in Ivory Coast which saw mass outbreaks of violence, this year’s presidential vote was substantially peacefully, with a few incidents that saw about 11 people killed.
