Abidjan: Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara has secured a fourth term in office with a sweeping victory, according to provisional results announced on Monday.
The 83-year-old leader, who has governed the world’s top cocoa producer for nearly 15 years, won 89.77 percent of the vote. It marks his third consecutive landslide since taking power in 2011, following a disputed election that triggered a civil conflict killing around 3,000 people.
Former Commerce Minister Jean-Louis Billon finished second with 3.09 percent, while Simone Gbagbo, the former first lady, garnered 2.42 percent, according to the Independent Electoral Commission’s announcement. Voter turnout stood at about 50 percent, similar to the 2015 and 2020 polls but sharply below the 80 percent recorded during the tense 2010 race.
Prominent figures such as former president Laurent Gbagbo and ex–Credit Suisse chief executive Tidjane Thiam were barred from contesting. With their exclusion, the field lacked heavyweight challengers, leaving Ouattara’s victory widely anticipated.
— Alassane Ouattara (@AOuattara_PRCI) October 27, 2025
Many years of political tension and disappointment have left many Ivorians disengaged. “People saw that politics was not changing their lives and lost faith that it could bring positive progress,” said Rinaldo Dipagne, deputy director of the Africa Program at the International Crisis Group.
Despite frustrations, Ouattara is credited with restoring relative calm and driving strong economic growth since the conflict of 2010–2011. Under his leadership, the Ivory Coast has become one of West Africa’s fastest-growing economies, attracting investment in infrastructure and agriculture.
Ouattara, a former deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund, has pledged to use his new term to continue economic expansion and prepare the country’s next generation of leaders.
Saturday’s vote took place under heavy security after sporadic protests earlier in the week. Authorities deployed 44,000 security personnel nationwide and imposed a curfew in parts of Yamoussoukro, the political capital.
The Constitutional Council is expected to validate the final results in the coming days, confirming Ouattara’s dominant hold on power as the Ivory Coast enters a new political chapter shaped by questions about succession and stability.
