The 2015 presidential election in Côte d’Ivoire was the first since multiparty
elections were introduced in 1990 in which all major parties were able to
compete without triggering a civil war. We examine the extent of democratic
progress registered by this milestone election, focusing on three democratic
qualities of elections: competition, participation, and legitimacy. Whereas
competitiveness and participation measures both fell relative to the 2010
election, the 2015 election was contested by all major parties and its
results were accepted peacefully, registering a dramatic step forward in the
legitimacy of the electoral process and outcome. We support this conclusion
with a historical analysis; and by comparing the final 2015 results with
parallel vote tabulation for the 2015 election, Afrobarometer survey data from
2014, and a subnational analysis of voter turnout in 2015 relative to 2010.