Why did the United Nations recognize Alassane Ouattara as the winner of the 2010 election?

The United Nations recognized Alassane Ouattara as the winner of the 2010 presidential election because the UN had actively overseen the voting process and formally certified the initial results.123

Following the runoff election on November 28, 2010, the country’s electoral commission declared Ouattara the winner with 54 percent of the vote. Although the incumbent, Laurent Gbagbo, challenged these results through the Constitutional Council—which subsequently declared him the winner by discounting portions of the vote—international observers deemed the election to be largely democratic.123

Because the UN had monitored the process and verified the outcome, it maintained that Ouattara was the rightful winner, a position supported by the broader international community. This recognition remained firm throughout the ensuing political standoff, which eventually concluded in 2011 when the Constitutional Council reversed its earlier decision and officially recognized Ouattara as the president.1245