A man casts his ballot at a polling station in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, Oct. 31, 2020. Cote d'Ivoire citizens began to vote in the presidential election on Saturday morning. Some 7.5 million people in Cote d'Ivoire are called to vote in 22,381 polling stations nationwide and 246 polling stations abroad. (Photo by Yvan Sonh/Xinhua)
ABIDJAN, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Cote d'Ivoire citizens began to vote in the presidential election on Saturday morning.
According to the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI), the polling stations were to open from 8:00 GMT and last 10 hours until 18:00 GMT when the voting operations are supposed to end.
Some 7.5 million people in Cote d'Ivoire are called to vote in 22,381 polling stations nationwide and 246 polling stations abroad.
Four candidates -- Cote d'Ivoire President Alassane Ouattara, and two opposition candidates Henri Konan Bedie and Pascal Affi N'Guessan as well as Kouadio Konan Bertin, who run as an independent -- were selected by the Constitutional Council for the ballot.
Nearly 35,000 security and defense forces were mobilized to secure the electoral process. Their presence was very discreet in the early hours of voting in the streets and polling centers of Abidjan, the capital city. Enditem
