Like Cameroon’s Biya, 83-year-old Ouattara extends rule with fourth-term win in Ivory Coast

Ouattara

President Alassane Ouattara has secured a fourth term in Ivory Coast’s just-concluded election, with provisional results showing a landslide victory for the 83-year-old leader.

Announcing the results on Monday, the country’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) said Ouattara had secured 89.77 percent of the vote cast.His main contenders were Jean-Louis Billon, former commerce minister, and Simone Gbagbo, former first lady.Billon, who conceded defeat to Ouattara on Sunday, received 3.09 percent of the vote, while Gbagbo got 2.42 percent, according to Ibrahime Coulibaly-Kuibiert, IEC president.

The former first lady has reportedly congratulated Ouattara over the electoral victory.

Ouattara’s win did not come as a shock to many Ivorians after the electoral commission disqualified major candidates, including former President Laurent Gbagbo, who could pose a challenge to the incumbent’s bid.A former deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Ouattara has also been credited with overseeing an economy that yielded years of steady growth. Thecable