ABIDJAN - The Ivory Coast's electoral commission was due to start giving partial results from Sunday's presidential election yesterday, the commission said, as concerns grew over the transparency of the counting.

Electoral commission president Youssouf Bakayoko gave a last-minute news conference late on Monday night to reassure voters, 80percent of whom turned out for the poll, that they would release results as soon as possible.

But he said that not all the ballots had been delivered because of logistical delays. At least some would come out yesterday, he said.

Ballot papers were still being transferred to the main city of Abidjan by UN peacekeepers, who will audit the counting.

A few thousand votes from Ivorians abroad have been published.

"I want to reassure you that the electoral commission is totally aware that after an election we have to give the results, but we are still within the deadline (of Wednesday)," he told the news conference.

Observers said they were urging the commission to be transparent and release results as soon as possible.

Sunday's vote in the world's top cocoa grower is meant to reunite a country torn by a 2002-03 civil war and whose economy suffered from political deadlock that forced six postponements of elections to date and prevented reform of a cocoa sector that feeds 40percent of the world market.

Ivorians, who have already waited five years for this poll, were increasingly sceptical. - Reuters