Ouattara re-elected as Ivory Coast president Post title

Ivory Coast's electoral commission has declared 73-year-old incumbent president as winner for a second five-year term.

Youssouf Bakayoko, the head of the commission, announced early Wednesday that President Alassane Ouattara earned 83 per cent of the Oct. 25 vote.

He needed more than 50 per cent to avoid a runoff. The closest opposition candidate, Pascal Affi N'Guessan, got nine per cent.

The presidential vote was the first since the 2010 contest in which Ouattara defeated then-President Laurent Gbagbo, whose refusal to step aside sparked months of violence that killed thousands.

Ouattara campaigned on the West African country's economic rebound and security gains during his tenure, though critics say he has failed to foster reconciliation or reduce poverty.

Bakoyoko said the turnout was 54 per cent, down from the 2010 first-round turnout of around 80 per cent.