By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Campaign rallies in Ivory Coast were officially brought to an end on Thursday, as candidates were in last-minute efforts to court voters ahead of the West African nation’s presidential election on Saturday.
The 30 million population cocoa-rich country is voting as the incumbent President Alassane Ouattara seeks a fourth term that would extend his rule to nearly two decades.
He is running under the ruling party, Rassemblement des Houphouetistes pour la Paix, with the slogan “For a Great Nation.”
8.7 million people have registered to vote in the election, with four weakened opposition parties challenging Ouattara’s re-election bid.
On Thursday, thousands of Ouattara’s supporters converged in central Abidjan after an earlier street rally. At the final rally in the economic capital, the 83-year-old president delivered a message to his opponents: “The dogs are barking but the caravan has moved already.”
Other candidates also made strong final appeals to their supporters. Former first lady Simone Gbagbo held her final rally in Aboisso, in the eastern part of the country, while Jean-Louis Billon, a former commerce minister, held his rally in Bouake, in the central region.
Political commentators are of the opinion that these candidates do not stand a chance to unseat the President, especially since the two most popular opposition candidates, former Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam and Laurent Gbagbo, a former leader were disqualified.
The exclusion of candidates from Saturday’s poll sparked nationwide protests, resulting in hundreds of arrests and dozens of imprisonments.
AP report says social and commercial activities have slowed down ahead of the election, with shops closed in many areas due to fear of violence breaking out. Ivory Coast has a history of electoral violence.
Streets in Abidjan are dotted with campaign billboards of Ouattara, with his close-up portraits showing him beaming with smile, but that of opposition figures were hardly seen.
