Ivory Coast's opposition leaders said on Monday they were creating a 'transitional government' after boycotting a weekend election in protest over President Alassane Ouattara's bid for a contested third term. The move deepens a crisis that erupted in August when Ouattara said he would run again, to the fury of the opposition who called it a constitutional breach and an "electoral coup" in the West African country. "The opposition parties and groups announce the creation of a council of national transition," Pascal Affi N'Guessan told reporters. "This council's mission will be to create a transitional government within the next few hours." Opposition figures had already rejected the ballot as a failure and called for a "civilian transition" from Ouattara's government, provoking a warning from the ruling party against trying to stir up unrest. Pockets of protest, vandalised voting materials and closed polling stations were reported mostly in opposition strongholds during Saturday's election. At least nine people were killed in clashes. Pre-election violence killed at least 30 and the boycott stoked fears of a repeat of the 2010-2011 crisis, when 3,000 people died after then-president Laurent Gbagbo refused to accept defeat by Ouattara. de-pma/tgb