News / Africa

Ivory Coast Opposition Candidate Ouattara Call for Recount

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Former Ivory Coast Prime Minister Alassane Ouattara has joined other opposition candidates in calling for a recount of the nation's October 31 election.

Final results announced by the nation's election commission show Ouattara finished second in the vote with 32 percent, behind Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo who had 38 percent. The two candidates are scheduled to hold a run-off election November 28.

But on Saturday, Ouattara joined with opposition candidates who are arguing that hundreds of thousands of votes in the election were inaccurately awarded to Mr. Gbagbo.

Among those demanding a recount is former president Henri Konan Bedie who finished third with 25 percent.  He and his party are alleging that someone rigged the results.  

Before the first round of votes, Mr. Ouattara and Mr. Bedie pledged to support each other if either one faced President Gbagbo in a run-off.

Election observers have not reported any evidence of fraud.

Sunday's election was Ivory Coast's first presidential vote since a 2002 civil war.

President Gbagbo's term officially ended in 2005.  New elections were repeatedly postponed because of failure to disarm rebels and disputes over voter registration.

Many Ivorians feared the election could trigger new violence but none has been reported.

Some information for this report provided by AFP and AP.

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