Ivory Coast President, Alassane Ouattara, 83, was sworn in on Monday for a fourth term in office, following an election in which his two major rivals were barred from contesting.
Ouattara secured another mandate in the October 25 poll, scoring close to 90 percent of the votes, although voter turnout stood at just over half of the electorate at 50.1 percent.
At the inauguration ceremony held at the Presidential Palace in Abidjan, the longtime leader pledged to “faithfully uphold and defend the constitution.”
Ouattara has been at the helm of the West African nation since the aftermath of the disputed 2010 election that plunged the country into conflict.
Dignitaries from 11 African nations were present at the ceremony, alongside former heads of state including Niger’s ex-president Mahamadou Issoufou.
France, Ivory Coast’s former colonial power, was represented by Yael Braun-Pivet, Speaker of the French National Assembly. The United States delegation was led by Jacob Helberg, Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, who was scheduled to meet with President Ouattara later in the day.
Notably absent from the event were Ouattara’s two chief political rivals, former president Laurent Gbagbo and former prime minister Tidjane Thiam, both of whom were barred from the ballot.
Gbagbo was disqualified due to a criminal conviction while Thiam was excluded over nationality concerns.
Neither of the opposition figures attended the swearing-in ceremony.
Ouattara takes oath for fourth term as Ivory Coast president
