Agenzia Fides

Abidjan (Agenzia Fides ) - The coalition led by President Alassane Ouattara obtained 80% of the vote in the parliamentary elections in Côte d'Ivoire held on 11 December, according to official figures released today, December 16, the Independent Electoral Commission, led by Ouattara's party, the Rassemblement des Republicans, obtained 127 seats while its ally, the Parti Démocratique de Côte d'Ivoire (PDC, former President Henri Konan Bédié) obtained 77. The seats up for grabs were 254, but one has to carry out a vote apart to give the 255th seat after the death of a candidate. The turnout was low, 36.56%, due to the boycott by the Front Populaire Ivoirien (FPI) to protest against the handing over to the International Criminal Court (ICC) of its leader, former President Laurent Gbagbo. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 16/12/2011)