These are Ivorian legislative elections against the backdrop of the desire for a return to peaceful political life. Nearly 7.5 million Ivorian voters are expected in the offices ...

Legislative in Côte d'Ivoire: start of voting operations

Polling station in Bouaké, Ivory Coast, this Saturday, March 6, 2021 © François Mazet / RFI

Text by: RFI Follow

6 mins

These are Ivorian legislative elections against the backdrop of the desire for a return to peaceful political life.

Nearly 7.5 million Ivorian voters are expected in the polling stations this Saturday, March 6, in order to renew the 255 seats in the National Assembly.

The RHDP, the PDCI, the FPI, the three main political forces are taking part in the ballot 4 months after a presidential election boycotted by opponents and violence which left 87 dead.

Overview with our correspondents and special envoys.

Publicity

At the Riviera Golf school group, in Cocody, writes

our correspondent in Abidjan

Pierre Pinto

, the voting operations began, from 8:00 a.m., little by little, before the staff of the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) finished setting up election materials.

About ten voters who had been waiting for 8 hours were the first to vote, others arrived little by little.

Participation is an issue in this ballot.

For the first time in ten years, all political parties are participating, including supporters of Laurent Gbagbo under the colors of the EDS platform (Together for Democracy and Sovereignty).

All sides are playing big and called on their voters to mobilize.

In the last legislative elections, in 2016, participation had barely exceeded 34% but after a presidential election in 2020, boycotted by the opposition and marked by political violence, the staffs hope that voters will this time massively surrender to the elections. ballot boxes to express themselves: supporters of power to consolidate the victory of their champion, Alassane Ouattara, and allow him to have a free hand in the Assembly to conduct its policy;

those of the opposition to the call of their leader not to leave what they call "

absolute power

" to the RGDP especially as, this time, the campaign took place in a peaceful atmosphere, more conducive to ensuring that voters who are not necessarily activists, decide to slip a ballot into the ballot box.

Bouaké, a summary of the panorama of this election

This election is marked by the return to the electoral game of supporters of former President Laurent Gabgbo, after 10 years of absence.

François Mazet

our special envoy in Bouaké

, Côte d'Ivoire's second city in the center of the country, noted that the polling stations were a little late.

Thus, at the Koko district labor market, a polling center with 11 offices, the latter opened in scattered order.

Most did so in the last quarter of an hour, enough time to check the lists, set everything up and seal the ballot boxes.

A few people all the same for this opening, most of the interested voters were there well before 8 am in the hope of going quickly to the polls to do their duty of citizen and then to go about their occupations, to go to work.

Four lists are available to the voters of Bouaké which summarize the panorama of this election.

There is the RHDP, the ruling party, Bouaké is a stronghold of Alassane Ouattara's party;

the list is led by the Minister of Transport Amadou Koné who hopes to make a triumphant score.

Facing him, three opponents, PDCI-EDS on the one hand, the two major opposition groups who are united today, other opposition parties around the FPI and an independent candidate.

High stakes

Mahiboua, reports

our special envoy

Francois Hume Ferkatadji

,

is one of the hundred villages located in the Gagnoa sub-prefecture constituency.

The opening of the office here was a little late, while a few voters waited in peace.

It is a very small office since there are 327 registered - there are 36,000 in total - in this constituency n ° 69 where a seat is to be filled and where there are no less than 17 very independent candidates, most of the pro-Gbagbo, and 4 candidates from the major parties.

But here, the stakes are high.

The PDCI and EDS, the pro-Gbagbo platform, have failed to reach an agreement, while in most of the other constituencies they are allied.

There are even two political behemoths who clash, causing some commentators to say that it is a "

proxy match

" between the two former presidents, Henri Konan Bédié and Laurent Gbagbo.

An observer told us yesterday jokingly: "

Here, a corpse will die

", in other words an important personality will fall.

In the running, Maurice Kakou Guikahue, number 2 and executive secretary of the PDCI, approached to take over from Henri Konan Bédié at the head of the party and on the other side, Marie-Odette Lorougnon, vice-president of the FPI, two children of the country.

The result is therefore eagerly awaited here because it would be a blow to one or the other of the candidates.

If EDS is defeated, we could see the loss of influence of FPI Gbagbo in one of its emblematic strongholds after a decade of boycott of the ballot box.

And in the event of the defeat of the PDCI, the historic party will have to justify the fall of one of its highest executives, also tipped to take over from Henri Konan Bédié at the head of the party.

Legislative in Côte d'Ivoire: start of voting operations

Legislative in Côte d'Ivoire: start of voting operations

Bouaké, a summary of the panorama of this election

High stakes

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