Ouattara leads as Ivory Coast votes in tense presidential election

Ivorians cast ballots Saturday in a tense presidential election likely to extend President Alassane Ouattara's rule after polls opened across the country, organizers said, with counting under way and partial results showing the 83 year old incumbent leading. Nearly nine million people were eligible to vote in the election that pits Ouattara against four lesser known candidates, in a contest overshadowed by the exclusion of two high profile figures and months of protests and security measures.

The two excluded hopefuls are former president Laurent Gbagbo, barred over a criminal conviction, and former banker Tidjane Thiam, declared ineligible because he holds French nationality. Their absence, and a constitutional change in 2016 that Ouattara says reset his term count, prompted opposition accusations that the process was manipulated to favour the incumbent. Bredoumy Soumaila, a spokesperson for Thiam's party who is living abroad, said, "For months, we called for dialogue, to create the conditions for an inclusive and peaceful election."

Authorities deployed about 44,000 police and soldiers nationwide and imposed bans on public gatherings and night curfews in some regions, citing...