Ivory Coast's Election: A Test of Democracy

Ivory Coast is getting ready for a big vote. On Saturday, people will choose their next leader. The main candidate is Alassane Ouattara. He's been in charge for 15 years. Now, he wants another term. This would be his fourth time as president. But not everyone is happy about this. Some say he changed the rules to stay in power. He made changes to the constitution in 2016. This let him run again. Now, he's 83 years old. Critics say he's not letting others compete fairly. Two strong opponents were kicked out of the race. Tidjane Thiam has French citizenship. The government said he can't run because of this. Laurent Gbagbo was also disqualified. He was in trouble for past legal issues. Without these candidates, the competition is not fair. Ivory Coast has made big progress in the last decade. It used to have a civil war and violence. Now, it's more stable. The economy is doing better too. But some worry about freedom of speech. There have been reports of crackdowns on people who disagree. There's also a lot of false information online. Some posts say there was a coup. Others say Ouattara is controlled by France. Experts say this is similar to what happened before coups in other countries. The vote will start at 8 a. m. and end at 6 p. m. Results should come out in a few days. If no one wins more than half the votes, there will be a second round. But many think Ouattara will win this time too.