Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara apparently has won a controversial third term in office in a landslide victory in the West African nation’s presidential election on Saturday. Electoral commission president Ibrahime Coulibaly-Kuibiert declared Quattara the winner early Tuesday, saying he received just over 3 million votes or 94% of the total. Just over half of all eligible voters cast ballots, Coulibaly-Kuibiert said.  The Ivory Coast constitutional council still has to validate the election results and declare a winner after hearing any complaints or challenges. Quattara secured the apparent victory in the midst of deadly pre-election violence and a boycott of the election orchestrated by two opposition leaders.Street vendors use parasols reading “Abobo ADOland” in reference to the Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara, who is known as ADO, at Abobo neighborhood in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Nov. 2, 2020.The top opposition candidates, former President Henri Konan Bedie and ex-Prime Minister Pascal Affi N’Guessan, say they will not recognize a Quattara victory, claiming the vote was slanted because they called for a boycott of Saturday’s election. They also said Quattara’s run for a third term is illegal because it violates the constitution, which allows presidents to serve two terms. Ouattara rejected that notion, saying the approval of a new constitution in 2016 allowed him to seek a third term.  The opposition announced late Monday the formation of a transition council to help create an alternative government. It said the council would outline a blueprint for a fair presidential election.  The Ivory Coast government did not issue an immediate response to the opposition’s plans. 
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