Ivory Coast opposition claims victory in legislative polls

Ivory Coast opposition party, the Democratic Party of Cote d’Ivoire (PDCI), has claimed majority victory in the just-concluded parliamentary election held on Saturday.

The general coordinator of the opposition party, Niamkey Koffi told journalists that they had captured over 128 seats out of the total 255 parliamentarians.

He further alleged that preliminary results were riddled with irregularities.

“We think we have around 128 seats with our allies” in the 255-seat National Assembly, top party official Niamkey Koffi told a news conference in the economic capital Abidjan the day after the polls.

“Our concern is that the results may be manipulated,” said Koffi of the center-right Ivory Coast Democratic Party (PDCI), warning the government against “any attempt to falsify” them.

This declaration comes even before the independent electoral commission declared the results of the legislative polls.

Meanwhile, the ruling Ouattara’s RHDP party also made the same claims of victory despite the electoral commission has not declared the official results

Saturday’s legislative elections were generally calm, unlike the presidential election of October 2020, marked by violence before and after the election that killed 87 people and injured some 500.

The election was boycotted by the opposition parties and President Alassane Ouattara re-elected with more than 94% of the vote for a third term of office controversial.

In the last legislative vote in December 2016, Ouattara’s RHDP party teamed up with the center-right Ivory Coast Democratic Party (PDCI), winning an absolute majority with 167 seats.

Hauwa Mustapha