ABIDJAN: French President Emmanuel Macron tempered Ivory Coast presidential poll congratulations to Alassane Ouattara on Sunday by urging "dialogue" with an opposition angered by a disputed third straight election success.
"I wanted to congratulate you and pass on my best wishes for success to the Ivorian people," said Macron in a written message seen Sunday by AFP.
Ouattara was declared the winner with more than 94 percent of the October 31 vote, but the opposition refused to acknowledge the result, launching a campaign of "civil disobedience" and vowing to set up a transitional government.
Macron noted the "violence and tension" surrounding the vote which has seen at least 85 people killed since August in the former French colony. Ouattara has indicated he is willing to establish a dialogue with main opposition poll rival Henri Konan Bedie - the pair spoke in midweek - and Macron said that was a sign of "hope".
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