Bolivia: Annan says Sunday’s elections offer chance to advance cause of peace

Secretary-General Kofi Annan has called on the people of Bolivia to maintain a “peaceful and constructive attitude” during elections to be held on Sunday.

That message was conveyed in a letter to President Eduardo Rodríguez Veltzé delivered on Mr. Annan’s behalf by the Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Angela Kane, who met with the Bolivian leader in La Paz today.

In the letter, the Secretary-General emphasizes that these elections “constitute an invaluable opportunity to advance the search for peaceful and democratic solutions to the challenges Bolivia faces,” and supports the work of the international observers of the Organization of American States (OAS), a UN spokesman said in a statement.

Mr. Annan has closely followed developments in Bolivia ever since street protests led to the resignation of President Carlos Mesa earlier this year.

Mr. Rodriguez, the head of the Supreme Court, was sworn in as President in June after months of protests.

Since March, Mr. Annan has issued several statements urging Bolivians to resolve differences over national interests peacefully. In June he sent Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs José Antonio Ocampo to assess how the UN could help the country as it tackled its political transition and economic issues.