Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara reelected to fourth term, early results show

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara was reelected to a fourth term in an election marked by low turnout and empty streets in the economic capital of Abidjan, provisional results showed Monday.

Ouattara, first elected president in the West African nation in 2011, won 89.7% of the vote, Electoral Commission head Ibrahime Kuibiert Coulibaly said Monday.

Jean-Louis Billon, a former commerce minister from one of Ivory Coast’s richest families, came in a distant second with 3% of the vote. Simone Gbagbo, a former first lady, came in third with 2.4%, under the provision results.

Final results are expected by Nov. 3, though they could be announced sooner. Some 8.5 million people were registered to vote. Voter turnout was around 50%.

Billon has already congratulated Ouattara on Sunday evening, based on early results.