UN's Ban welcomes second round of elections in Côte d'Ivoire

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UN's Ban welcomes second round of elections in Côte d'Ivoire

2010-11-30 06:48:53 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on Monday welcomed the holding of the second round of elections in Côte d'Ivoire despite some violent incidents throughout the country.

"[ban] that, by exercising their right to vote for the second time in one month, the Ivorian people demonstrated again their desire for lasting peace and stability in their country," said Martin Nesirky, Ban's spokesman.

On Sunday, citizens in Côte d'Ivoire voted in the presidential run-off election between incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo and former Prime Minister Alassabe Ouattara. The first round of elections was held on October 31.

Ban called on the two parties and candidates to refrain from announcing the results of the run-off in advance of the Independent Electoral Commission to avoid further conflicts. The UN head also called on them to help maintaining a calm environment despite the results.

The Secretary-General further urged candidates and parties to abide by the law in resolution of any disputes related to the electoral process. He remarked that all involved must accept the proclaimed and certified results in spirit of peace and reconciliation.

Ban highlighted that any disruption in the electoral process would not be in the best interests of the Ivorian citizens who have waited many years to reach a successful conclusion to the crisis. The elections are considered a major step in restoring stability to a country divided by a civil war in 2002.

Last week, the UN Security Council approved the deployment of UN peacekeepers for a period of no more than four weeks, in order to reinforce the 8,650 peacekeepers during the election period.

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