Sports Presidential election in Côte d'Ivoire: stakes and challenges of an election under pressure

© ISSOUF SANOGO / AFP Participation, electoral system, security ... The presidential election of October 31 faces many challenges. (illustrative image)

Ivorians are being called to the polls this Saturday, October 31 for a presidential election under pressure. Alassane Ouattara is seeking a third term against an independent KKB candidate, Kouadio Konan Bertin. And the opposition, which disputes the conditions in which the poll is held, calls for preventing the election from being held.

with our correspondents and special envoys,

The main question of this day is that of participation. Some 7.5 million voters are called to the polls on Saturday, but the presence of Ivorians at the polling stations is uncertain.

Violence and boycott of the opposition: why Côte d'Ivoire is sinking into the crisis

About thirty people have died since August in violence linked to the presidential election of October 31, including 11 days. © Issouf SANOGO / AFP In Côte d'Ivoire, around thirty people have died since August in violence linked to the presidential election of October 31. Côte d'Ivoire is sinking into a new political crisis against a backdrop of inter-community tensions.

The post- election crisis then evolved from a targeted campaign of violence by Gbagbo forces to an armed Under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, such acts, as part of an “attack on a Thousands of people in Côte d ’ Ivoire lost loved ones and suffered enormous harm during the

A presidential election is planned for 2009, after numerous delays arising from postwar issues.[11]. could use "all necessary measures" in its mandate to protect civilians under imminent threat of Ms. Helen Clark UNDP Administrator during her visit in Abidjan, Côte d ' Ivoire in September 2012, after a

The opposition has been boycotting the electoral process for two weeks and is keen to prevent the election from taking place. She believes that Alassane Ouattara does not have the right to run, and accuses the Election Commission of being subservient to power.

Many voters will also abstain for fear of violence. The last few months have indeed been marked by political unrest, sometimes deadly. The NGO Indigo, one of the structures observing the poll, has recorded nearly 150 incidents in recent weeks.

This Friday again, Yamoussoukro, the political capital, was the scene of tensions. Barricades blocked certain axes there. Unrest was also reported in the town of Bonoua, about sixty kilometers east of Abidjan.

In the economic capital the psychosis is palpable. The streets of Abidjan are unusually empty at night. A lot of people left town to go green for a few days. Others have stockpiled basic necessities in shops or supermarkets.

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US election 2020. Click or tap on an underlined word for a short definition or explanation. Like most voting systems, the electoral college has a number of pros and cons but it is widely respected because of its historical roots in the founding of the US.

35,000 men deployed for security

The Minister of Security Vagondo Domandé gave details on Friday about the progress of the operation "trumpeting the elephant" composed of 35,000 members of the police and responsible for 'ensure the security of this high-voltage ballot.

The Minister of Security assured that the security conditions are met to allow Ivorians to go and vote and that all arrangements have been made to secure the ballot until the end of the process. However, he warned the troublemakers.

General Vagondo Diomandé said that the army contributed to the delivery of the electoral system. Because the implementation of this device is another key element of the ballot.

Is the electoral system in place?

By the Independent Electoral Commission itself, the acts of civil disobedience by opposition activists slowed down the distribution of voter cards, with less than half of the 7.5 million citizens registered on the lists who were able to withdraw their precious sesame.

But for Emile Ebrottié, spokesperson for the CEI, most of the electoral material, ballot boxes, voting booths and ballots among others, could be deployed on the ground despite the opposition's slogan.

The Platform of Civil Society Organizations for the Observation of Elections in Côte d'Ivoire makes the same observation, and adds that some local CEIs, such as in Yamoussoukro, have been vandalized. Sites which will be operational again this Saturday morning, assures the Commission.

But the opposition also promises to block the vote. It remains to be seen how much this could affect the turnout. In this context, however, the participation figures are of greater importance than in normal times, since much of the legitimacy of the winner will depend on them.