Presidential candidate Simone Gbagbo rejects Ivory Coast election results: Video
Ivory Coast’s former First Lady and presidential candidate Simone Gbagbo has rejected the results of the October 25 presidential election, alleging that the vote was neither fair nor transparent, and calling for sweeping reforms to the country’s electoral system.
Speaking at a press conference in Abidjan on Tuesday, October 28, Gbagbo said the results announced by the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) “do not accurately reflect the will of the people.”
“We have an unfair electoral system that has been locked in place for months. We have called for far-reaching reforms to guarantee inclusive, transparent and credible elections,” she said
The CEI on Monday, October 27, declared incumbent President Alassane Ouattara the winner, securing a fourth term in office with 89.77 percent of the votes. Former Commerce Minister Jean-Louis Billon received 3.09 percent, while Gbagbo garnered 2.42 percent, according to provisional results.
Gbagbo, who ran under the banner of the Mouvement des Générations Capab.les (MGC), said the results failed to capture the true mood of Ivorians, arguing that her campaign revealed deep public frustration with the current political system.
She also criticised the heavy political influence over the country’s electoral institutions and campaign financing, saying meaningful reform is crucial for the future of Ivorian democracy.
“Ivory Coast will not be able to build a sustainable democracy as long as electoral institutions remain under political control, as long as campaign financing is not fairly regulated, and as long as the transparency of results is not guaranteed by law and technology,” Gbagbo added.
According to the CEI, more than 8.7 million Ivorians were registered to vote in this year’s polls.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
