By Robbie Corey-Boulet
ABIDJAN (Reuters) -Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara is seeking a fourth term on Saturday, vowing to build on nearly a decade and a half of consistent growth while critics denounce what they describe as a concerted bid by his government to stamp out dissent.
The election in the world's biggest cocoa producer pits Ouattara, 83, against two former government ministers as well as the ex-wife and former spokesperson for his predecessor, Laurent Gbagbo. Ouattara is the only candidate with the backing of a strong political party, making him the clear favourite.
Two more prominent challengers, Gbagbo and former Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam, were barred from running. Thiam has said the race was shaping up to be a "coronation".
Ouattara, who has brushed off concerns about his age and health, came to power after a four-month civil war that drew on ethnic tensions and was spurred by Gbagbo's refusal to acknowledge defeat in the 2010 election.
FOCUS ON YOUTH JOBS
A former international banker and deputy managing director of the IMF, Ouattara has helped place Ivory Coast among the fastest growing economies in the region, with international bonds that are some of the best performing in Africa.
Along the way he has struck political deals to twice coast to re-election and overseen constitutional reforms that allowed him to sidestep a two-term limit, drawing the ire of his rivals.
Both Thiam and Gbagbo accuse Ouattara of eroding democratic institutions and failing to provide equitable growth.
Ivory Coast's economic recovery is a big part of the record Ouattara is now running on, Patrick Achi, government spokesperson and former prime minister, told Reuters.
"The whole economic system was really down. The education system was down, health was down, (the) road system was down," Achi said, adding that Ouattara's government had "to rebuild the whole thing".
After investment in schools and road infrastructure, along with flashier projects like a 60,000-seat stadium, a fourth term will emphasise attracting private sector investment, he said.
This will help employ 400,000 Ivorians graduating every year, he said.
"If we cannot grow the private sector fast enough to absorb them... then that becomes a threat," he said.
HUNDREDS ARRESTED, SECURITY FORCES DEPLOYED
At a pro-Ouattara rally in Abidjan's Yopougon neighbourhood, Lacine Cisse, a 42-year-old employee of the state postal service, said Ouattara should be credited with offering stability in a region rife with insurgencies and coups.
"Look at Guinea, look at Niger - very rich in resources and coups slow them down," he said.
"After the vote, everyone will be at the nightclub because there is peace here."
However, Dominique Yapo, a 37-year-old cooking gas vendor in Yopougon, said economic growth had not trickled down and the cost of living had increased.
"We feel like nothing is being done to improve the situation," he said. "Ouattara's supporters are the ones who find work easily."
During the campaign, rallies for Ouattara's rivals have gone ahead but the government has deployed 44,000 members of the security forces throughout the country and enforced what Amnesty International said was a "disproportionate" ban on protests.
Hundreds have been arrested, and the interior ministry said dozens had received prison terms of up to three years for offenses including disturbing public order.
In a statement last week, Justice Minister Sansan Kambile said the restrictions were limited to the election period and that the government was committed to respecting freedom of assembly.
(Reporting by Robbie Corey-Boulet and Ange Aboa; Additional reporting by Loucoumane Coulibaly; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
