World leaders yesterday hailed a peaceful poll in Ivory Coast, the west African country’s first for a decade, and urged candidates to respect the outcome.

The results of Sunday’s election was due to be released tomorrow, but the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) is expected to work fast to avoid trouble between supporters of political rivals.

The election is meant to bring an end to a decade of political and military crises that saw a foiled coup bid against President Laurent Gbagbo in 2002 and subsequent partition and control of the north by rebels of the New Forces.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on “all parties and candidates to play their part in maintaining a calm environment, urging them to accept the proclaimed and certified results, filing any complaints through the legally-established mechanisms,” his office said yesterday.

Two potential flashpoints for post-election violence, the economic capital Abidjan and the central town of Bouake, stronghold of the former rebels, were calm yesterday.

President Gbagbo’s mandate ran out in 2005, but the 65-year-old postponed the election six times, citing problems with the electoral register and the question of the disarmament of the FN, who signed a definitive peace deal with the government in 2007.

His main rivals – among 14 candidates – are former President Henri Konan Bedie, 76, hoping to make a comeback, and former Prime Minister Alassane Ouattara, 68, both of whom were excluded from the last election in 2000.

Mr Ban hailed the election as “an important milestone in the efforts to restore lasting peace in the country”.

Praising the “good conduct” of the election, French President Nicolas Sarkozy called on the three rivals to maintain “the same sense of responsibility” when it came to the result.

Meanwhile, the turnout in Ivory Coast’s Presidential election on Sunday was “about 80 per cent”, the electoral commission announced yesterday, describing the high figure as “historic”.