The President of Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara has been declared winner of the presidential poll.
Ibrahime Coulibaly-Kuibiert, head of the electoral commission, made the announcement in a broadcast Tuesday morning.
The commission said the incumbent got 94.27 percent of the votes in Saturday’s election. Turnout was low; 53.9 percent of registered voters showed up.
The victory means Ouattara has secured a third term of another five years in office. The high margin has been attributed to his main opponents’ boycott.
His opponents reportedly told their supporters to stay away after repeated argument – including a legal battle – that Ouattara should have been disqualified from seeking a third term.
Ouattara, who contested after his party’s candidate died in July, insists he was eligible to continue after two terms in power.
The 78-year-old cited the constitutional referendum passed in 2016 and his love for the country as part of reasons he joined the race.
There are fears of post-election violence. More than 3,000 people died in in 2010 and 2011 when former President, Laurent Gbagbo refused to concede defeat to Ouattara.
