A/HRC/31/78 II. Political background A. A major political event: peaceful elections held in accordance with international standards 7. At the outset of this report, the Independent Expert wishes to highlight the presidential elections that were held in Côte d’Ivoire on 25 October 2015. A majority of the national and international observers who were present agreed that the elections conformed to international standards. Given the configuration of the political landscape and the political coalitions that have taken shape fairly recently, a single round of elections was held. The incumbent, President Alassane Dramane Ouattara, was re-elected with 83.6 per cent of the votes, with Pascal Affi N’Guessan obtaining 9.3 per cent of the votes and Kouadio Konan Bertin 3.9 per cent. 8. In recent times, many elections have been followed by violent protests, but on this occasion the losing candidates all accepted the results and congratulated the President on his re-election. This commendable attitude opens up bright prospects for a pluralistic dialogue and a cooperative approach on the part of Ivorian politicians. The Independent Expert applauds the sound judgement displayed by the political community of Côte d’Ivoire and encourages its members to proceed along its chosen path with a view to consolidating the peace and maintaining the ground that has been gained in terms of economic and human development. 9. The fact that presidential elections were held peacefully and in accordance with international standards is a major achievement that stands in sharp contrast to this country’s recent troubled past. The Independent Expert wishes to highlight this very welcome event, which is a stellar achievement shared by all Ivorians, without exception. They should be rightfully proud of what they have accomplished. He also wishes to underscore the crucial institutional role played by the Independent Electoral Commission in ensuring that the election could proceed smo othly in an atmosphere of calm. B. 1. Independent Electoral Commission Status and purpose 10. The Independent Electoral Commission is a standing body established under the Constitution (art. 32, para. 4) and is responsible for ensuring that elections are transparent and held in a lawful manner. It represents an important institutional development, inasmuch as, in the past, elections were organized and supervised solely by the Ministry of the Interior. In conjunction with his review of the presidential elections of 25 October 2015, the Independent Expert is also exploring the outlook for the elections that are to be organized in the near or medium term by the Independent Electoral Commission. 2. Successful organization of presidential elections 11. The Independent Expert notes that the dialogue held between the Government and political parties in the run-up to the recent presidential elections made it possible to ensure a relatively good balance in terms of the representation of the various political stakeholders and the inclusion of a significant portion of the opposition. The Independent Electoral Commission made a sustained effort to meet the challenges that arose in that regard. It updated the electoral rolls and took part in developing the security operations plan to be put into effect during the elections. As part of that plan, 6/23 GE.16-00901