Ivory Coast elections : Ouattara urges citizens to vote for MPs

President , Alassane Ouattara after voting at the capital, Abidjan on Sunday morning called on the Ivorians to go to the polls and vote for members of the National Assembly.

Election polls commenced in the West African country after much delay. More than 6.2 million people were registered to vote and elect new members of the national Assembly.

“The election is conducted in a manner suitable for the whole of the territory, that is what we want so I would like to encourage all of our fellow citizens to go and vote,” said Ouattara.

Presidential coalition is aiming for an absolute majority, despite opposition; the party is expected to produce a 255 member for a five-year term.

Ballot was also delayed at Bouaké, the second main city in the country (300 km north of Abidjan).

“I want to vote for the Assembly member close to the people, because I do not even know the outgone member in my community,” said a resident Fousseni Diabaté.

“I voted to allow the Ivorian President (Alassane Ouattara) to have a majority in the National Assembly in order to be able to apply its program of development of the country,” another resident Karim Ouattara said.

President Alassane Ouattara’s ruling coalition promises growth, hoping to seal its majority. The opposition Ivorian Popular Front, however, is participating in the vote in hopes of a more diversified parliament despite boycotting politics since 2011 after fighting saw its founder, ex-President Laurent Gbagbo, and others jailed.

The party is putting up more than 180 candidates.This election is the first in the third Republic of the country, after the adoption of a new Constitution in October.

Ivory Coast holds Parliamentary election today https://t.co/p3rb2HNLNm pic.twitter.com/36p4vQNqsb

— TVC (@TVCconnect) December 17, 2016

According to a member of the Independent Electoral Commission, the final results are not expected before Wednesday, but provisional results are expected by Sunday evening.