Freedom House has condemned the violence in Côte d’Ivoire .
The Violence erupted at around 100 polling stations in Ivory Coast on Sunday as voters decided whether to approve a new constitution that President Alassane Ouattara argues will ensure peace in the wake of years of political turmoil.
Elections worker Nandi Bamba was preparing to open the voting when a group of young men, some of them armed with clubs and machetes, attacked her polling station in Abidjan’s Yopougon neighbourhood.
“They demanded we stop working because the new constitution wasn’t for the people. Then they smashed the ballot boxes, scattered the ballots. They broke everything,” she said.
“Freedom House condemns the violence in Côte d’Ivoire surrounding the referendum regarding constitutional amendments approved less than a month ago by the National Assembly,” said Vukasin Petrovic, director for Central, West and East Africa programs.
“While the lack of transparency around the amendment process undermined trust, we urge opposition supporters to await the results peacefully.”
Opposition parties had called for a boycott of the referendum, arguing that the amendments would strengthen the ruling coalition’s hold on power.
The government violently broke up opposition protests and limited opponents’ access to media. The amendments would create a Senate and the position of vice president.
They also would remove a presidential age limit of 75, and the requirement that both parents of presidential candidates be native-born Ivoirians.