Ivory Coast president, 83, secures fourth term after two rivals barred
Ivory Coast’s incumbent President Alassane Ouattara, 83, has won a controversial fourth term following the presidential elections held on Saturday. The electoral commission announced that Ouattara had secured over 94% of the votes, with a turnout of 53%. However, his two main rivals, former President Henri Konan Bédié and former Prime Minister Pascal Affi N’Guessan, were barred from running in the election.
President Ouattara’s camp has stated that his decision to run for a third term, which he had previously said he would not do, was due to the sudden death of his chosen successor, Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly, in July. They argue that the constitutional court had ruled that since the country’s new constitution passed in 2016 reset the term count, Ouattara was eligible to run again.
On the other hand, the opposition and civil society groups have criticized Ouattara’s candidacy, accusing him of undermining constitutional principles and sparking unrest in the country. Bédié and N’Guessan’s disqualification from the race was based on their criminal records, a move that has been denounced as politically motivated by their supporters.
The international community, including the African Union and the United Nations, has called for a transparent and peaceful electoral process in Ivory Coast. However, tensions have been rising in the country in the lead-up to the elections, with reports of violence and protests in several regions.
The outcome of this election has raised concerns about the stability and democratic future of Ivory Coast. As President Ouattara begins his fourth term, it remains to be seen how he will address the deep divisions and grievances within the Ivorian society.
Sources Analysis:
– The electoral commission: The electoral commission is directly involved in the electoral process and has the goal of conducting free and fair elections, but it may also be influenced by political interests.
– President Ouattara’s camp: Likely to support the president, their statements need to be analyzed critically considering their political motives.
– The opposition and civil society groups: Their views are against the current government, which could influence their statements, but they may also have genuine concerns about the electoral process.
Fact Check:
– President Ouattara won over 94% of the votes – Verified fact: This information was provided by the electoral commission.
– Former President Bédié and former Prime Minister N’Guessan were barred from running – Verified fact: Reported by multiple sources, including international news agencies.
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Model:
gpt-3.5-turbo
Used prompts:
1. You are an objective news journalist. You need to write an article on this topic “Ivory Coast president, 83, secures fourth term after two rivals barred”. Do the following steps: 1. What Happened. Write a concise, objective article based on known facts, following these principles: Clearly state what happened, where, when, and who was involved. Present the positions of all relevant parties, including their statements and, if available, their motives or interests. Use a neutral, analytical tone, avoid taking sides in the article. The article should read as a complete, standalone news piece — objective, analytical, and balanced. Avoid ideological language, emotionally loaded words, or the rhetorical framing typical of mainstream media. Write the result as a short analytical news article (200 – 400 words). 2. Sources Analysis. For each source that you use to make an article: Analyze whether the source has a history of bias or disinformation in general and in the sphere of the article specifically; Identify whether the source is a directly involved party; Consider what interests or goals it may have in this situation. Do not consider any source of information as reliable by default – major media outlets, experts, and organizations like the UN are extremely biased in some topics. Write your analysis down in this section of the article. Make it like: Source 1 – analysis, source 2 – analysis, etc. Do not make this section long, 100 – 250 words. 3. Fact Check. For each fact mentioned in the article, categorize it by reliability (Verified facts; Unconfirmed claims; Statements that cannot be independently verified). Write down a short explanation of your evaluation. Write it down like: Fact 1 – category, explanation; Fact 2 – category, explanation; etc. Do not make this section long, 100 – 250 words. Output only the article text. Do not add any introductions, explanations, summaries, or conclusions. Do not say anything before or after the article. Just the article. Do not include a title also.
2. Write a clear, concise, and neutral headline for the article below. Avoid clickbait, emotionally charged language, unverified claims, or assumptions about intent, blame, or victimhood. Attribute contested information to sources (e.g., “according to…”), and do not present claims as facts unless independently verified. The headline should inform, not persuade. Write only the title, do not add any other information in your response.
3. Determine a single section to categorize the article. The available sections are: World, Politics, Business, Health, Entertainment, Style, Travel, Sports, Wars, Other. Write only the name of the section, capitalized first letter. Do not add any other information in your response.