Ivory Coast Opposition Leaders Call for Vote Boycott

(Bloomberg) -- Ivory Coast’s key opposition leaders called on voters to boycott Oct. 31 elections, heightening tensions in the world’s top cocoa producer.

President Alassane Ouattara’s rivals, Henri Konan Bedie and Pascal Affi N’Guessan, have asked their supporters to withdraw their participation from any activity linked to the elections, including the vote itself, Affi N’Guessan told reporters Thursday. He spoke on behalf of both candidates in Abidjan, the commercial capital.

“Our followers must carry out an active boycott by all legal means so the ruling party agrees to meet with all political forces” to address concerns about the vote, Affi N’Guessan said.

The West African nation is headed for tense polls amid growing opposition against Ouattara’s bid to extend his 10-year tenure by an additional five years, following the death earlier this year of his chosen successor, Amadou Gon Coulibaly. At least 14 people died in clashes after Ouattara announced his plan.

The opposition is also challenging the exclusion of some candidates and the composition of the electoral commission among other issues.

“This electoral process is illegal because it does not meet any international criteria,” Affi N’Guessan said.

Civil Disobedience

The International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based think-tank, said last month the vote should be postponed to allow for talks after the opposition called for “civil disobedience.”

Cocoa for December delivery fell 2% to $2,343 a metric ton on ICE Futures U.S. in New York, the lowest since July 30, amid signs of slumping global demand. The pricing of the most active contract showed no reaction Thursday to the boycott plan.

“I don’t see this leading to large-scale violence,” Kobi Annan, a risk analyst at Songhai Advisory Group Ltd., said by phone from London. “Cocoa exports will remain relatively protected by the powers within the regulator, Le Conseil du Cafe-Cacao, and the companies involved.”

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