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Mr
Essy (left) was one of nine opposition candidates (Photo: AFP)
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A prominent presidential
candidate in
Côte d'Ivoire
has pulled out of the 25 October elections - the first
since a civil war ended in 2011 - saying it would neither be free nor fair. Amara
Essy - a former foreign minister and a member of the National Coalition for Change
opposition bloc - denounced the poll as an "electoral masquerade".
BBC report continues:
"I
won't risk, in front of history, allowing my candidacy to legitimize the
incumbent president in a process that we have every proof is completely under
his control," Mr Essy added in a statement, referring to Alassane
Ouattara's bid for re-election.
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The
2010 election was marred by violence (Photo: AFP)
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A
government spokesman has rejected accusations the authorities had ordered a
wave of arrests to repress the opposition.
Regional observers hope the
election will consolidate democracy in
Côte d'Ivoire, where a civil conflict
after the last presidential vote in 2010 left some 3,000 people dead.
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