President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Monday graced the swearing in and inauguration ceremony of ivorian president, Alassane Ouattara.

The ceremony which took place at the presidential palace in the de facto capital of Abidjan, saw in attendance 13 african heads of state and governments and other invited guests including former french president Nicholas Sarkozy, and was without the usual large audience due to covid-19 restrictions in the country.

Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara took the oath of office for a controversial third term on Monday, urging the opposition to help “defuse tensions” ahead of local elections early next year.

He had said earlier that he asked his prime minister, Hamed Bakayoko, to “resume discussions” with the opposition, which continues to contest the legitimacy of the October 31 election.

This is the first time that an elected president has been sworn in on the Constitution in Cote d’Ivoire.

The oath-taking hearing was conducted by the President of the Constitutional Council, Mamadou Kone, in the presence of members of the council.

Alassane Ouattara also made a commitment to promote national reconciliation and social cohesion, notably through the resumption of dialogue with the opposition for the holding of legislative elections ” in the first quarter of the year 2021″.

Alassane Ouattara was declared re-elected with 94.27 percent of the vote in the first round of the October 31 presidential election.

By:Isaac Clottey