Alassane Ouattara Wins Fourth Term Amid Controversial Election in Ivory Coast

Wed Oct 29 2025 01:22:38 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara has been re-elected for a fourth term, securing nearly 90% of the votes in a contentious election with significant opposition boycotts.

President Alassane Ouattara has won a landslide victory in Ivory Coast's presidential election, securing 89.8% of the votes. The election was marred by controversy as two major opponents were barred from competing, leading to widespread calls for a boycott. Despite the high percentage of votes, the opposition claims the election was illegitimate, which raises questions about the democratic process in the country.

Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara has secured a fourth term in an election which two of his biggest challengers were barred from, according to provisional results.

Ouattara, 83, won 89.8% of the vote, the electoral commission announced, with businessman Jeal-Louis Billon coming in a distant second with only 3.09%.

The landslide victory was anticipated as former President Laurent Gbagbo and ex-Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam were barred from the race and had urged their supporters to boycott the election.

Voter turnout was reported at just 50.1%.

Simone Gbagbo, ex-wife of Laurent Gbagbo, was allowed to run and received 2.42% of the vote.

Final results are pending from the Constitutional Council, which will rule on any election petitions. On Sunday, opposition groups referred to the election as a 'civilian coup d'état,' refusing to recognize Ouattara's presidency as legitimate.

Ouattara first took office in 2011 after the arrest of Laurent Gbagbo, who refused to concede defeat in the 2010 election. Initially limited to two terms, Ouattara was later able to seek re-election due to a 2016 constitutional amendment, yet faced an opposition boycott in the subsequent 2020 election.