Cote d’Ivoire’s electoral commission says President Alassane Ouattara has won a second five-year term with nearly 84% of the vote.
Youssouf Bakayoko, the head of the commission, announced early on Wednesday that Mr Ouattara had won a total of 2,118,229 votes, or 83.66% of votes cast. Turnout was 54.63%.
He needed more than 50% to avoid a runoff. The closest opposition candidate, Pascal Affi N’Guessan, got 9%.
The presidential vote was the first since the 2010 contest in which Ouattara defeated then-president Laurent Gbagbo, whose refusal to step aside sparked months of violence that killed thousands.
Ouattara campaigned on the west African country’s economic rebound and security gains during his tenure, though critics say he has failed to foster reconciliation or reduce poverty.
Bakoyoko said the turnout was 54%, down from the 2010 first-round turnout of around 80%.
