Abidjan- The Head of UN Operations in Cote d’Ivoire (UNOCI), Ms Aïchatou Mindaoudou, has urged political stakeholders to work toward promoting credible elections in that country.
Mindaoudou, also the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General at the mission, made the call in Abidjan on Friday during a meeting with political stakeholders in the country.
The meeting brought together members of the Independent Electoral Commission, political parties and civil society leaders.
She said political stakeholders in the country needed to synergise efforts toward ensuring crisis-free and credible election come October.
“I will urge all stakeholders to play their roles with honesty and integrity, bearing in mind the broader picture of having a credible election.
“Looking at where the country is coming from, the only thing needed during the 2015 presidential election is peace; we cannot afford a repeat of the past,’’ she said.
The UN official said that the actions of major political stakeholders in the country would determine the reactions of other citizens.
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“You are all leaders, the rest of the country looks up to you, so we must all do our part to ensure that the right things are done,’’ she said.
Ms Christiane Pelchat, Representative of the National Democratic Institute, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) after the meeting that the achievement of credible election depended on all stakeholders.
She said “nobody is exempted, parties, NGOs, government, the election body and the citizenry, we are all involved.
“The first step is to have a national belief in a credible electoral process, then, we all work toward it, I think it is realisable.’’
NAN reports that Cote d’Ivoire’s President Alassane Ouattara had already declared his intention to run for the presidential election scheduled for October.
Cote d’Ivoire witnessed a bloody crisis following disputed election between Ouattara and former President Laurent Gbagbo.
Political analysts said a truly independent electoral commission and honesty on the part of government remained crucial for free, fair and credible election in the country. (NAN)