Ouattara Heads for Fourth Term as Rival Jean-Louis Billon Concedes Ivory Coast Election

Former commerce minister Jean-Louis Billon has conceded defeat to President Alassane Ouattara in Ivory Coast’s presidential election, acknowledging early results that show the 83-year-old incumbent holding a strong lead nationwide.

“The initial results place the incumbent President, Mr Alassane Ouattara, in the lead, designating him the winner of this presidential election,” Billon said in a statement on Sunday, congratulating Ouattara.

Billon was among four opposition candidates, though his campaign struggled to gain traction after he failed to secure the backing of the main opposition PDCI party, led by former Credit Suisse chief Tidjane Thiam, who was barred from running.

Partial results announced by the Independent Electoral Commission on Sunday showed Ouattara dominating in most regions, including the diaspora vote from six countries. Al Jazeera’s correspondent Ahmed Idris, reporting from Abidjan, said the incumbent “is leading by a wide margin in many of the areas so far.”

Nearly nine million Ivorians were eligible to vote in Saturday’s poll, held amid a fractured opposition and widespread frustration over the disqualification of top challengers. Former President Laurent Gbagbo was barred because of a criminal conviction, while Thiam was excluded over his French citizenship.

The exclusions sparked pre-election protests and calls for a boycott, though the day of voting remained largely calm. Officials said voter turnout hovered around 50 percent, with polling stations in pro-opposition areas nearly empty and northern regions, seeing higher participation.

Security forces were deployed nationwide, with at least 44,000 personnel stationed to prevent unrest. Authorities reported isolated clashes resulting in two deaths, but Abidjan’s streets stayed quiet.

Ouattara, a former IMF official in power since 2011, had been widely expected to secure a fourth term after consolidating control over the ruling Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace. His previous victory in 2020 saw him claim 94 percent of votes amid a partial opposition boycott.