The five candidates in Saturday's presidential election in Ivory Coast held their final rallies and parades on Thursday, the last day of the election campaign.

The political climate has become tense in recent weeks: the opposition is denouncing in particular the exclusion of its two main candidates, former President Laurent Gbagbo and Tidjane Thiam, as well as President Alassane Ouattara's bid for a fourth term.

In an interview on Wednesday, Laurent Gbagbo described the election as a "civil coup."

In total, four people have died since mid-October on the fringes of demonstrations or blockades, including a police officer.

Several dozen people have been sentenced to three years in prison, notably for participating in opposition demonstrations banned by the authorities.

On Thursday, Alassane Ouattara ended his campaign with a large parade and a rally in Abidjan, near the presidential palace.

"Côte d'Ivoire has been doing better since 2011," the year he came to power, he said.

But "we must continue to do the work that is necessary for the peace and stability of our beautiful country," he added, calling on the thousands of supporters in orange colors of his party to "vote en masse," assuring that the election will be "democratic."

Jean-Louis Billon, former Minister of Commerce and dissident of the main opposition force, the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI), closed his campaign at a rally in Bouaké (central Ivory Coast), the second most populated city in the country.

Ahoua Don Mello, a former companion of Laurent Gbagbo, who was a dissident with him, went to M'Batto, also in the center.

Simone Ehivet Gbagbo, former First Lady and ex-wife of Laurent Gbagbo, held a final meeting in Aboisso, in the southeast.

Finally, Henriette Lagou, a former minister and already a candidate in 2015, went to Bondoukou, in the east before finishing in Yopougon, the largest district of Abidjan.

Nearly 9 million voters are expected to cast their ballots on Saturday.

The election campaign officially ends at midnight.