President Alassane Ouattara was on Monday sworn in for a fourth term as leader of the Ivory Coast following an election from which his two main rivals were barred.
The 83-year-old secured nearly 90 percent of the vote in the October 25 poll, which saw a turnout of just over 50 percent. At the ceremony in Abidjan, Ouattara pledged to “loyally defend the constitution” and described his new term as one of “generational transition.”
Eleven African heads of state attended the inauguration at the presidential palace, alongside former leaders including Niger’s Mahamadou Issoufou. France was represented by National Assembly Speaker Yael Braun-Pivet, while the United States sent Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg.
Ouattara’s main opponents, Laurent Gbagbo and Tidjane Thiam, were excluded from the race—Gbagbo over a criminal conviction and Thiam due to nationality issues. Neither was present at the ceremony.
The Ivorian leader, who first came to power after the deadly 2010–2011 post-election crisis that claimed more than 3,000 lives, said the country had “profoundly changed” under his leadership. He cited strengthened state authority, improved national cohesion, and enhanced security as key achievements.
A vocal critic of recent coups in West Africa, Ouattara reaffirmed his foreign policy stance of maintaining friendship with all and enmity with none. He also reiterated that his new term would focus on preparing a younger generation for leadership, calling it “an act of responsibility and political maturity.”
