President Alassane Ouattara won a controversial third term in office in a landslide victory that has since plunged Ivory Coast into bloody violence.
The country’s opposition boycotted the election saying Ouattara’s bid for a third term was unconstitutional.
While Ivory Coast has a two term presidential limit, the incumbent has insisted the new constitution approved in 2016 allowed him to run again for a third term.
Ivorians went to the polls on Saturday October 31st to choose their leaders, and on Tuesday the electoral body declared the incumbent president winner with 94% of the vote cast.
Violence gripped the West African state the same Tuesday after opposition rejected the election of Ouattara and promised to set up a rival “transitional government”.
Opposition leader Pascal Affi N’Guessan had told reporters that opposition parties and groups were forming a council of national transition to create a transitional government within the next few hours to prepare the framework for a fair, transparent and inclusive presidential election.
Police quickly responded and blocked access to the residences of key opposition leaders Henri Konan Bedie and Pascal Affi N’Guessan.
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Government officials have accused the opposition of plotting an act of sedition. The public prosecutor has been asked to investigate the opposition, warning that all options are on the table.
Police fired tear gas to disperse groups of opposition supporters in the capital Abidjan. At least 9 people were killed on election day when violence broke up between government and opposition supporters.
Two supporters of an Ivory Coast minister were killed in a clash near his home in the central town of Toumodi, a ruling party official said on Wednesday.
More than 40 people have been killed in clashes since August when Ouattara first announced he would run for a disputed third term.
The violence has prompted hundreds of Ivorians to flee to neighboring countries for fear of a repeat of deadly violence like the once seen during 2011 post election violence when the then president Laurent Gbagbo was forcefully removed from power.
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