Processing of voter identification in Côte d’Ivoire going well, says UN envoy

The top United Nations envoy to Côte d’Ivoire said today that the processing of data from the nationwide identification and voter registration operation ahead of November’s presidential election is “going well.”

Y. J. Choi, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, visited the main centre for voter identification in Abidjan, where he saw firsthand the progress being made so far in collecting and processing information received from smaller centres around the country.

The UN Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI), headed by Mr. Choi, has been providing technical and logistical support for preparations for the elections, including for voter identification and registration.

The long-awaited presidential polls, which were to have been held as far back as 2005, are now scheduled for 29 November.

Today’s stop at the centre in Abidjan follows Mr. Choi’s mission last week to the interior of the country, during which he visited identification coordination centres in Bouaké, Séguéla, Daloa, Issia and San Pedro.

Over 6 million voters have been registered so far, or about 70 per cent of the eligible voters in the country, which became divided in 2002 between the Government-controlled south and the rebel Forces Nouvelles-held north.