ABIDJAN, Côte d’Ivoire — President Alassane Ouattara has secured a fourth term in office, following a landslide victory in Ivory Coast’s just-concluded presidential election, according to provisional results released on Monday, October 27, 2025.
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) announced that the 83-year-old leader won 89.77 percent of the votes cast.
His closest rivals, Jean-Louis Billon, a former commerce minister, and Simone Gbagbo, a former first lady, trailed far behind with 3.09 percent and 2.42 percent respectively.
Announcing the results in Abidjan, Ibrahime Coulibaly-Kuibiert, president of the IEC, said the election had been conducted peacefully in most parts of the country.
Billon, who had conceded defeat to Ouattara a day earlier, congratulated the president, while Gbagbo also reportedly sent a message acknowledging his victory.
Ouattara’s sweeping win, though unsurprising to many Ivorians, follows widespread criticism over the disqualification of several major opposition candidates, including former President Laurent Gbagbo and Tidjane Thiam, former Credit Suisse CEO and ex–IMF executive.
Thiam, who was widely seen as a potential challenger, condemned the election as “not a real contest”, saying voting took place “in a climate of fear and low participation.”
Political analysts say the exclusion of top contenders effectively cleared the path for Ouattara’s victory, raising concerns about democratic competitiveness in one of West Africa’s fastest-growing economies.
A former International Monetary Fund (IMF) deputy managing director, Ouattara has been credited with steering Côte d’Ivoire’s economy through years of steady growth and post-conflict recovery.
However, critics argue that his prolonged hold on power undermines democratic progress, especially after he initially pledged in 2020 not to seek another term.
Ouattara has said this will be his final presidential bid, a victory that now extends his nearly 15-year rule, positioning him among West Africa’s longest-serving leaders.
Despite his longevity, Ouattara remains far behind some of Africa’s oldest leaders. In Cameroon, 92-year-old Paul Biya recently won his eighth consecutive term, having ruled for over 43 years.
Biya is the world’s oldest serving president, second only in longevity to Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea, who has been in power since 1979.
