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Côte d'Ivoire requests UN assistance for upcoming elections

Côte d'Ivoire requests UN assistance for upcoming elections

As preparations for upcoming general elections get underway in Côte d'Ivoire, the country's fledgling government has asked the United Nations to help lay the groundwork for the 2005 ballot and to monitor the procedures to ensure fair and creditable outcome.

According to the UN Mission in Côte D'Ivoire (MINUCI), the formal request for electoral assistance came in a letter to Secretary-General Kofi Annan from Prime Minister Seydou Diarra, head of the Ivoirian transitional government established under the Linas-Marcoussis Agreement last January. That accord, brokered by France, calls on the government, rebels and political opposition to share power until elections in 2005.

The Prime Minister asked the world body to led a hand during the run-up to the elections in order to help create ideal conditions in which the ballot could be held in a transparent, fair and credible manner. He stressed that the success of the first general elections under the accord were the key to the long-term success of Côte d'Ivoire.