By Ayomide Otitoju
Voting concluded on Saturday in Ivory Coast’s parliamentary elections, with early results indicating low voter turnout following a boycott call by several opposition parties.
The legislative polls were held two months after President Alassane Ouattara, 83, secured a fourth term in office, extending his 14-year rule. Observations by journalists in parts of Abidjan, including Yopougon and Plateau, showed sparse participation, with fewer than 100 voters casting ballots out of about 400 registered at some polling units.
The Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) announced early Sunday that provisional turnout stood at 32.35 percent, down from 37.88 percent recorded during the 2021 legislative elections. More than eight million voters were registered to elect members of the 255-seat National Assembly, where the ruling party currently holds a majority.
Elections in Ivory Coast are frequently marked by political tension, prompting authorities to maintain the deployment of more than 40,000 security personnel used during the October presidential election. CEI Chairman Ibrahime Kuibiert Coulibaly acknowledged that isolated scuffles occurred but said they were swiftly contained and did not disrupt the electoral process.
President Ouattara cast his ballot earlier on Saturday. In Abidjan, polling stations opened about an hour late due to heavy rainfall, further affecting voter participation.
Despite the low turnout, some voters cited civic responsibility as their motivation for participating. A 21-year-old student, Assi Gilles Darus Aka, said he voted to support candidates who would advance projects to help young people enter the workforce, while a 76-year-old retiree, Dominique Tanou Benie, said voting remained a civic duty despite limited engagement from elected officials.
The ruling Rally of Houphouëtists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP) is seeking to retain control of parliament. Its candidates include Prime Minister Robert Beugré Mambé and Defence Minister Téné Birahima Ouattara, the president’s brother.
The elections follow a contentious presidential poll in October, in which Ouattara won nearly 90 percent of the vote amid the exclusion of most opposition candidates. The vote was followed by violence that claimed at least 11 lives and led to the detention of dozens of opposition supporters.
Former president Laurent Gbagbo’s PPA-CI party, whose leader was barred from the presidential election due to a criminal conviction, boycotted the parliamentary vote, although around 20 of its members contested as independent candidates. The Democratic Party of Côte d’Ivoire (PDCI), led by Tidjane Thiam—also excluded from the presidential race—fielded candidates, despite the detention in November of its spokesman, Soumaila Bredoumy, on charges related to terrorism and plotting against state authority.
