Ivory Coast president's chief rival accepts election defeat

28 October 2015 01:27 pm

Pascal Affi N'Guessan, who finished second in last weekend's Ivory Coast presidential election, today accepted his defeat by incumbent President Alassane Ouattara, helping turn the page on a 2011 civil war and years of political turmoil.

"I recognize President Ouattara's victory," said N'Guessan, who won around 9 percent of votes cast in Sunday's poll compared to Ouattara's nearly 84 percent. "We ran a good campaign, but the best candidate won," he told reporters. (REUTERS)