UN's Ban applauds the start of Cote d'Ivoire's electoral campaign after six delays

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UN's Ban applauds the start of Cote d'Ivoire's electoral campaign after six delays

2010-10-16 10:14:47 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday applauded the beginning of the electoral campaign in Cote d'Ivoire and the progress made so far in the process which was delayed six times.

Fourteen candidates are running for President of the West African country. However, three candidates are the main front runners: current President Laurent Gbagbo, former President Henri Konan Bedié and former Prime Minister Alassane Ouattara.

Ban called for the participating parties to conduct their electoral campaign in a peaceful manner and keeping with the spirit engendered by the signing of the Ouagadougou Political Agreement in March 2007.

"The holding of open, free, fair and transparent elections in Côte d’Ivoire will represent a major milestone towards the peaceful resolution of the crisis," said Martin Nesirky, Spokesperson for Ban. "The Secretary-General calls on all parties and the Ivorian people to ensure that the country remains on track towards lasting peace and stability."

The presidential campaigning will last two weeks and will end twenty-four hours before the vote which is scheduled for October 31. The presidential vote has been delayed six times before but this time it appears that it will finally take place.

The UN Secretary-General is expecting that all parties will accept the proclaimed and elected president that will stem from the election process. He said that they will also have to address any arising disputes through the legally-established mechanisms.

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