Ivorian vote in municipal and regional elections

Over six and a half million Ivorian voters took part in municipal and regional elections on Saturday to choose nearly 200 mayors and 31 regional councils.

The vote comes less than two years to the country’s presidential election in 2020 and also end to a campaign period marked by tension.

VIDEO: Voting beings for municipal and regional elections begins in Ivory Coast pic.twitter.com/biUSjESXU6

— AFP news agency (@AFP) October 13, 2018

About 30,000 police, gendarmes and soldiers were deployed across the country to ensure voters exercised their franchise.

About 400 independent candidates are taking part in the elections some of whom were supported by Guillaume Soro, officially a member of the RDR.

The president of Ivory Coast’s national assembly Soro has not hidden his ambition to contest as a presidential candidate in the 2020 presidential election.

Satursday’s election witnessed President Alassane Ouattara’s Rally of the Republicans and the Democratic Party of Cote d’ivoire whose leader is former president, Henri Konan Bedie contesting against each other after ending their coalition alliance.

Meanwhile, loyal supporters of former president, Laurent Gbagbo boycotted Saturday’s elections.

AFP