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PROGRESS
ON ELECTIONS IN COTE D'IVOIRE, BY CAROLINE PATTON: 29/04/2008
(MaximsNews Network)
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UNITED
NATIONS - / MaximsNews Network / - 29
April 2008 --
This November the
Ivory Coast
may actually hold elections after three years of delays and postponements. Made
possible by the agreement reached in 2007, they will take place on 30 November
and have been agreed to by all of the country’s important political actors
including its President Laurent Gbagbo.
Back in
2002, the country was split, with the government in command of the southern
portion and the opposition Forces Nouvelles having power in the north. Only a
year ago were the two sides able to reach a compromise and move forward to end
the conflict. The resulting Ouagadougou Peace Agreement required that elections
take place and finally a date has been set to complete this important step. In
addition to agreeing on the elections, all of the country’s political parties
have committed themselves to a Code of Good Conduct.
The
Security Council spoke with Secretary-General’s Special Representative in
Côte d’Ivoire
, Choi Young-Jin and has praised the decision on an election date. The Council
called it “an important step forward.” The work of both Mr. Choi and
President Blaise Compaoré of
Burkina Faso
have “been instrumental towards achieving the establishment of a consensus
among all political parties to hold presidential elections in 2008.”
The
Security Council also took the opportunity to reiterate the need for the two
sides to continue to work to make the election be free and fair and asked for
the promulgation of an electoral list “as a crucial step in the electoral
process.” Recently hundreds of thousands of people in the
Cote d’Ivoire
were given new birth certificates, facilitating their participation in
November’s poll.
In the
Côte d’Ivoire
last week, Ban Ki-Moon said that the situation had reached the “point
of no return” and spoke with the Ivorian Foreign Minister, political
notables, members of civil society organizations, and personnel from UNOCI. The
Secretary-General also encouraged the progress to continue but said that “We
all know however that considerable challenges remain to be addressed.” He
warned that “The road to the elections, to sustainable peace and
reconciliation, may be treacherous and we should be vigilant.”
--Caroline
Patton
Labels:
United
Nations, U.N.
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