Ivorians voted Saturday to pick a new president, with incumbent Alassane Ouatarra a shoo-in for a controversial fourth term, pitted against a divided opposition further hobbled by the barring of two leading candidates.

Ouattara, 83, has wielded power in the world's top cocoa producer since 2011, when the country began reasserting itself as a west African economic powerhouse.

Nearly nine million Ivorians are eligible to vote in the polls, which close at 6:00 pm (1800 GMT), choosing between five contenders.

Turnout will be a key factor. Polling stations in the economic capital Abidjan visited by AFP in the afternoon were not crowded but there were many more voters in the second city Bouake, a Ouattara stronghold.

Roads were cut off in some parts of the country's south and west but no dis

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