UN chief praises Comoros peaceful elections and welcomes acceptance of results

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has commended the people of the Comoros for the peaceful atmosphere in which recent presidential and gubernatorial elections were held, and welcomed the acceptance of the final results by all candidates, according to his spokesperson.

In a statement issued on Tuesday evening, Mr. Ban lauded the important role played by the African Union (AU) in encouraging the holding of the “peaceful and democratic” elections and noted a joint statement, made on 29 December last year, by international observers from the AU, the League of Arab States, the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie and the Organization of the Islamic Conference, which indicates that the elections were generally free and fair.

“The Secretary-General reiterates the United Nations’ commitment to support the efforts of the Comorian people in the consolidation of national unity and democracy as well as the promotion of socio-economic development,” the Secretary-General’s spokesperson added in the statement.

According to media reports, the Comoros’ electoral commission and constitutional court declared on 13 January that Ikililou Dhoinine was the winner of the presidential elections, held on 26 December, with 61 per cent of the vote. Mr. Dhoinine was the deputy president under outgoing President Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi.