Vote counting began in Ivory Coast on October 25, 2025, as the country’s long-serving president, Alassane Ouattara, appeared poised to secure a controversial fourth term in office. The election, held amid heavy security and a divided political landscape, unfolded quietly in some regions and was marked by tension and violence in others, with the outcome expected to shape the future of the world’s top cocoa producer.
The 83-year-old Ouattara, who has led Ivory Coast since 2011, was widely expected to retain his seat. According to early results reported by AFP and Al Jazeera, Ouattara was leading by a landslide in many regions, with some northern strongholds reporting him winning upwards of 90% of the vote and turnout close to 100%. In contrast, polling stations in pro-opposition areas in the south and in parts of the economic capital, Abidjan, were nearly empty on election day, October 25, as reported by AFP and RFI.
The election was held under a cloud of controversy. Two of Ouattara’s most prominent rivals—former president Laurent Gbagbo and ex-Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam—were barred from running, Gbagbo due to a criminal conviction and Thiam because of his French citizenship. Their exclusion sparked major protests in August and calls for a boycott from opposition supporters. According to France 24, these events led to political marches being banned in October, with protesters clashing with police in Abidjan’s Blockhauss neighborhood. Hundreds were arrested and several people injured in the unrest, while a night-time curfew was imposed in some areas.
Despite the tense atmosphere, election day itself was generally calm, though not without incident. Security forces reported violence at 200 polling stations, mainly in the south and west. According to AFP, a 13-year-old boy was killed by gunfire in the town of Gregbeu, and a Burkinabe national died during clashes in the Gadouan region. Twenty-two people were injured by gunshots or stabbings, one critically. In total, six people lost their lives during the election period. The government responded by deploying 44,000 security personnel before, during, and after the polls, aiming to prevent further unrest. Demonstrations were banned, and several dozen people received three-year jail sentences for disturbing the peace.
Leticia Bea, a teacher, expressed her sense of civic duty as she cast her ballot: “We simply came to fulfill our civic duty, as teachers. I told myself, it’s a civic duty. For the children that we teach, the example must start with us,” she told AP. Other voters, such as Leterigue Sekongo, echoed the desire for peace above all else. “There is no point in using violence to spoil the country. It serves no purpose at all,” Sekongo said.
The official turnout figure, according to Ibrahime Coulibaly-Kuibiert, president of the Independent Electoral Commission, was about 50%. This was in line with previous elections, including the 2020 poll that was boycotted by the main opposition and saw Ouattara win 94% of the vote. Analysts and opposition leaders, however, pointed to the low turnout and the exclusion of major contenders as factors undermining the election’s legitimacy. Simon Doho, leader of the opposition Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI), observed, “We are seeing a very clear divide between the north and the south,” and added, “Doubts can be raised about the legitimacy of a president elected under these conditions.” (AFP)
Nearly nine million Ivorians were eligible to vote in this election, but the absence of several key opposition figures left many feeling disenfranchised. According to AFP and RFI, none of the four candidates who faced Ouattara represented a major party or had the national reach of the ruling Rally of Houphouetistes for Democracy and Peace (RHDP), which also holds a parliamentary majority. The divided opposition further weakened any challenge to Ouattara’s rule, as former commerce minister Jean-Louis Billon conceded defeat early, congratulating Ouattara and stating, “The initial results place the incumbent President, Mr Alassane Ouattara, in the lead, designating him the winner of this presidential election.”
The electoral commission began announcing partial results from 20 departments, with 10 or 11 more to go, including diaspora votes from six countries. Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Idris, reporting from Abidjan, described the moment as “the most critical stage of this election, where results from various polling booths and centres are being collated and announced… From the initial results, it’s clear the incumbent is leading by a wide margin in many of the areas so far.”
Ivory Coast’s political landscape has long been shaped by volatility. The country, which has experienced civil war and recurrent bouts of violence, has nonetheless seen sustained economic growth under Ouattara. Backed by a boom in cocoa—the country is the world’s largest producer—Ivory Coast has achieved an average annual growth rate of 6% over the past decade. Yet, as AP notes, 37.5% of the population of 30 million still lives in poverty, and jobs remain scarce for young people, fueling frustration and, at times, unrest.
The government’s heavy-handed response to opposition protests and the barring of major rivals have drawn criticism from both domestic and international observers. Still, the streets of Abidjan remained largely calm as the results came in, with security patrols visible and the population watching events unfold with a mix of resignation and hope. “Ivorians are watching closely what happens here,” said Idris. “And the result of this election will determine whether or not the streets will remain calm.”
As the final results were being tallied late on October 26, a smiling Ouattara was greeted with cheers at his party headquarters in Abidjan. With his victory all but certain, the president looked set to extend his rule to nearly two decades, further cementing his place in the country’s history. But with the legitimacy of the vote questioned by many and the scars of recent violence still fresh, the challenges facing Ivory Coast’s democracy remain as urgent as ever.
