Security Council calls for credible Ivorian polls at the earliest

The Security Council today called for the holding of credible presidential elections in Côte d’Ivoire at the earliest date possible, after the much-delayed polls were recently postponed again.

Ambassador Michel Kafando of Burkina Faso, which holds the Council’s rotating presidency for this month, told reporters that the 15-member body noted the postponement of the first round of presidential elections – which had been scheduled for 29 November – due to technical and financial constraints, as well as important remaining tasks.

“The members of the Council call on the Ivorian stakeholders to pursue their efforts in order to hold credible elections at the earliest possible date,” he added.

The elections, originally scheduled for as far back as 2005 and repeatedly postponed, constitute a major step in restoring stability after civil war split the West African nation seven years ago into a Government-held south and a northern area dominated by the rebel Forces Nouvelles.

The statement followed the Council’s closed-door meeting with Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Alain Le Roy, who briefed members on the conclusion of the sixth meeting of the permanent consultative framework of the Ouagadougou Agreement, the 2007 blueprint for political reconciliation in Côte d’Ivoire.