Ivory Coast counts votes in key election with incumbent Ouattara predicted to win fourth term

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — Votes were being counted late Saturday in Ivory Coast after citizens cast their ballots to elect a new leader. Longtime President Alassane Ouattara is seeking a fourth term while his key contenders were barred from the race.

Although the Independent Electoral Commission announced a turnout of 50% based on initial assessment of ballots counted so far, the turnout was much lower in many ballot stations in the main city of Abidjan, according to residents and Associated Press reporters on-site.

Election results were expected between Sunday and Monday, according to Ibrahime Kuibiert Coulibaly, head of the electoral commission.

The election is the latest example of aging men continuing to hold power in Africa, which boasts the youngest population in the world. Cameroon’s Paul Biya, 92, Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni, 81, and Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Mbasogo, 83, are some other older African leaders still in power.

Five candidates are jostling for Ivory Coast’s top job, but many see Ouattara, the 83-year-old leader of the world’s biggest producer of cocoa, retaining his seat. If he wins, he will extend his rule to almost two decades. Ouattara’s party, the Rally of Houphouetistes for Democracy and Peace, or RHDP, also holds a majority of seats in parliament.

Ouattara has overseen the country’s economic reconstruction since the civil war, achieving an annual growth rate of 6% backed by a boom in cocoa. However, 37.5% of the country’s 30 million people still live in poverty, and jobs are scarce for young people.

Ouedraogo Issiaka, a scrap metal dealer in the capital of Abidjan, said he is voting to “show my love and support” for Ouattara and his ruling party. “But I understand those who wanted to support someone else and didn’t vote,” said Issiaka, 45, referring to supporters of opposition candidates barred from contesting.

Some 8.7 million people registered to vote. The country’s last two elections saw a voter turnout of slightly above 50%, though analysts predicted a lower general turnout this time.

The election took place in a “calm and peaceful atmosphere,” Yemi Osinbajo, head of the joint ECOWAS-African Union election observer mission, said in a statement. Most opposition leaders and candidates had not publicly shared their assessment of the process as of Saturday evening.

Ouattara described the election as a “vote of trust” after voting in the suburb of Cocody in the capital city.

“It is really important to vote, especially to vote for your president. ... You have to do this in peace,” the Ivorian leader said.

The buildup to the election has been marred by protests against the exclusion of major candidates who could pose a challenge to Ouattara. The final list of registered candidates did not include Tidjane Thiam, a former Credit Suisse executive, and Laurent Gbagbo, a former candidate who still retains the support of a large section of voters.

Their supporters had taken to the streets, with several hundred people arrested. The crackdown has raised the specter of past electoral crises that left at least 3,000 people dead in 2010 and 2011, and almost 100 in 2020.

The disqualification of the key opposition candidates cast doubts on the credibility of the vote. Opposition supporters have accused the Independent Electoral Commission of working in favor of the ruling party.

Civil society leader Pulchérie Gbalet cast doubts on the credibility of Saturday's vote, saying: "It is clear that from the outset, there has been no election ... because the Constitutional Council chose the candidates on political grounds and eliminated the others in a dishonest and unfair manner.”

Ouattara has denied a crackdown on the opposition. He has attracted less scrutiny from the international community and from longtime partner and former colonial ruler France.

“The geopolitical context is favorable to him,” said Séverin Yao Kouamé, a research professor at the country’s University of Bouaké, noting other international priorities.

Four candidates challenge Ouattara, including Simone Gbagbo, a former first lady, and Jean-Louis Billion, a former commerce minister under Ouattara. They have all promised jobs and new agricultural policies. Analysts have said none has any strong chance of winning.

At his final rally in Abidjan on Thursday, Ouattara told his supporters: “The growth has been huge, but we need to continue.”

A former deputy managing director at the International Monetary Fund, Ouatarra’s investment in the public sector and infrastructure has endeared him to his supporters.

Asadu reported from Abuja, Nigeria.

An election official records poll result on a chalkboard at a polling station in the Yopougon suburb of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, as polls close during the presidential elections. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

An election official looks through a voter register at a polling station in Yopougon during the presidential elections in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

Officials count votes at a polling station in the Yopougon suburb of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, as polls close during the presidential elections. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

A woman casts her vote at a polling station during the presidential elections in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

Simone Ehivet Gbagbo, Opposition Presidential candidate casts her vote during the presidential elections in Cocody, Ivory coast, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, (AP Photo/Diomande Ble Blonde)

Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara casts his vote at a polling station during the presidential elections in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

A man casts his ballot during the presidential elections in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara casts his vote at a polling station during the presidential elections in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

A man casts his ballot during the presidential elections in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara casts his vote at a polling station during the presidential elections in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

A man sits under a campaign billboard of President Alassane Ouattara in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

A street vendor sells under a campaign poster of presidential candidate Simone Gbagbo in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

Supporters of President Alassane Ouattara dance during a rally in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

President Alassane Ouattara speaks during his final campaign rally at Republic Square in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

WENGEN, Switzerland (AP) — Host Italy has a new contender in Alpine skiing with the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics three weeks away.

Giovanni Franzoni claimed his first World Cup victory on the famed Lauberhorn course in a super-G Friday — four months after his close friend and former roommate, Matteo Franzoso, died in a crash during preseason training in Chile.

The 24-year-old Franzoni — a former world junior champion in super-G, downhill and Alpine combined — was the first racer on course and took advantage of the No. 1 bib to deliver a near-perfect run.

Reaching a top speed of 140.44 kph (87 mph), Franzoni finished 0.35 seconds ahead of Stefan Babinsky of Austria and 0.37 ahead of downhill world champion Franjo von Allmen of Switzerland.

Franzoni handled the tricky Canadian Corner and Kernen S sections on the upper portion of the course cleaner than anyone else.

“I made the difference on the turn where I crashed a few years ago,” he said, referring to his season-ending fall in a super-G in 2023 that resulted in thigh surgery.

Swiss overall World Cup leader Marco Odermatt, a four-time winner in Wengen, placed fourth, 0.53 behind.

The top American was Ryan Cochran-Siegle in sixth.

Franzoni also led both downhill training sessions and could be a contender in the classic downhill on Saturday. His previous best World Cup finish was third in a super-G on home snow in Val Gardena last month.

Now Franzoni will be among the leaders for Italy’s team in Bormio, where men’s Alpine skiing will be contested during the Olympics.

“If you had told me that I would be third in Val Gardena and then win here — on the two courses that I've had the most trouble on — I wouldn't have believed it,” Franzoni said.

The opening ceremony for the Games is scheduled for Feb. 6.

“I don't know about the future, but the present has changed," Franzoni said. "We always live day by day.”

Marco Schwarz, the Austrian who won the previous super-G in Livigno, Italy, last month, missed the race due to sickness.

Also sitting out this weekend is Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, the Norwegian standout who returned this season after a horrific crash in Wengen two years ago.

“This year," Kilde said on Instagram this week, "it’s just a little too early.”

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Giovanni Franzoni of Italy takes a jump during the alpine ski, men's World Cup super-G race, in Wengen, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)

Switzerland's Marco Odermatt reacts at finish line during an alpine ski, men's World Cup super-G, in Wengen, Switzerland, Friday Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Giovanni Zenoni)

Switzerland's Franjo von Allmen reacts at finish line during an alpine ski, men's World Cup super-G, in Wengen, Switzerland, Friday Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Giovanni Zenoni)

Austria's Stefan Babinsky speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup super-G, in Wengen, Switzerland, Friday Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Italy's Giovanni Franzoni reacts at finish line during an alpine ski, men's World Cup super-G, in Wengen, Switzerland, Friday Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Giovanni Zenoni)

Italy's Giovanni Franzoni speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup super-G, in Wengen, Switzerland, Friday Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)