UN Secretary-General welcomes consensus for elections in Guinea

UN Secretary-General welcomes consensus for elections in Guinea

2010-11-04 03:23:07 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday said that tge consensus reached by Guinean stakeholders paves the way for the second round of presidential elections.

"The Secretary-General calls upon the presidential candidates to uphold their commitment to conduct a peaceful campaign and to respect the outcome of the election," Secretary-General spokesperson, Martin Nesirky said. "He encourages all Guineans to participate in the poll."

The first round was seen as Guinea's first democratic vote since independence in 1958, raising hopes of an end to military and authoritarian rule in the mineral-rich country that was established after the death of long-time leader Lansana Conte in December 2008.

The second round will confront Cellou Dalein Diallo and Alpha Condé, the two candidates who garnered the highest number of votes in the first round in June.

For the upcoming second round, Diallo is seen as the favorite but his rival, veteran opposition leader Conde, says he was defrauded of some 600,000 votes in the first round.

The new date for the second round was announced last week as Guinean authorities selected November for the run-off after the independent electoral authority canceled the poll that was scheduled for October 24.

Despite this, the Secretary-General remains concerned over the recent violence and intimidation, calling on national and local leaders, as well as on the population as a whole, to refrain from any act or statement that may incite violence or human rights abuses.

"The Transitional Government of Guinea has a responsibility to protect and ensure the safety of all Guineans, regardless of their ethnicity, religion or political affiliation," said the Secretary-General spokesperson.

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