The Ivorian presidential election held on October 25 at the Ivorian Embassy in Accra recorded a remarkably low turnout.
A total of 1,432 registered voters were expected to cast their ballots, but agents of the various presidential candidates were left disappointed as all four polling stations in Accra and one additional center in Kumasi recorded poor participation.
Out of the total registered voters, only 164 turned up to vote across the five polling centers in Ghana.
Polling agents attributed the low turnout to the absence of many registered voters, most of whom are tertiary students believed to have returned to Côte d’Ivoire on vacation.
Before sorting and counting began, the returning officers cross-checked the number of ballots against the verified voters’ list. It was discovered that the number of ballots cast exceeded the number of verified voters, delaying the collation process.
After deliberations, candidate agents and election officials agreed to exclude four disputed ballot papers from the count to ensure fairness.
When results from all four polling stations were eventually tallied, incumbent President Alassane Ouattara secured 88 votes, representing 56.66% of valid votes cast. Simone Ehivet Gbagbo followed with 15 votes (9.15%), while Lagou Adjoua Henriette of the GP Paix party garnered 2 votes (1.22%). Billon Jean Eugene of the CODE party polled 8 votes (4.88%), Don-Mello Jacob received 10 votes (6.10%), and Bulletins Blancs polled 41 votes, representing 25% of total votes.
The election in Ghana was supervised by the diplomatic representative of the Ivorian Electoral Commission, a subsidiary of Côte d’Ivoire’s national election management body.
The outcome of the election in Ghana reflects a significant voter apathy among the Ivorian diaspora, raising concerns about civic participation and engagement outside the home country. The transmitted results have been sent electronically to Abidjan and will undergo manual verification as part of the final national tally.
By Stanley Nii Blewu
