Polling in Ivory Coast's general election underway amid boycotts

KIGALI, Rwanda

Polling in the Ivory Coast's general election began on Saturday, with people queuing to vote for 255 members of the lower house, or National Assembly, amid an opposition party boycott and pre-poll allegations of fraud and vote buying.

Polling stations in 205 districts opened at 8 a.m. local time and will close at 6 p.m., according to the Independent Electoral Commission, which added that more than 8.7 million people are eligible to vote.

The election follows the October presidential election, with over 2,740 candidates vying for parliamentary seats.

President Alassane Ouattara, who won a fourth term in the October presidential election, voted around 11.30 am local time at Saint Marie High School in the Cocody suburb of Abidjan.

Traditional political parties are competing, as are numerous independent candidates.

However, analysts believe that the main contest is between the ruling Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP) and the opposition Democratic Party of Cote d'Ivoire-African Democratic Rally (PDCI-RDA).

The RHDP fielded the most candidates, with over 200, while Tidjane Thiam's opposition PDCI-RDA party has 163 in the race.

The PDCI-RDA claimed pre-poll rigging, citing incidents of electoral fraud in the country's central district, as well as illegal data collection and bribery, which the electoral body dismissed.

In a statement issued Thursday, the PDCI-RDA stated that it believed the goal was "to organize massive electoral fraud in favor of the RHDP candidates."

The African Peoples' Party - Cote d'Ivoire (PPA-CI), led by former President Laurent Gbagbo, boycotted the election, citing unmet conditions for free, fair, and credible elections.

The absence creates an unprecedented political space for independents, particularly in several traditionally opposition-held strongholds, according to analysts.

The party also rejected the results of the October presidential election.

Independent Electoral Commission President Ibrahime Coulibaly-Kuibiert promised that the election would be free, fair, and transparent.

The commission is expected to release the provisional results between Dec. 28 and 30.