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Ban congratulates Egypt’s Morsi on presidential election win

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
UN Photo/M. Garten (file photo)
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Ban congratulates Egypt’s Morsi on presidential election win

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has congratulated Muhammad Morsi on his win in Egypt’s presidential election, and offered the continued assistance of the United Nations as the country pursues the path of democracy.

In a phone call on Wednesday, Mr. Ban urged the President-elect to ensure that all Egyptians would be able to realize their aspirations for greater democracy, the promotion of human rights, and a more prosperous and stable country, according to information released by his office.

Mr. Morsi is reportedly due to be sworn in tomorrow, two weeks after he defeated ex-prime minister Ahmed Shafiq in the run-off election. He is the first president to be elected following the ouster of long-time leader Hosni Mubarak in a popular uprising last year that was part of the wider pro-democracy movement across the Middle East and North Africa.

Mr. Ban also spoke with Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, Egypt’s Acting head of State, on Thursday. He congratulated him on the recent presidential elections and expressed appreciation for his leadership in having the elections transpire in a peaceful and transparent manner.

The Secretary-General noted that the elections did not mark the end of a process but an end of one phase in the process towards democracy, his office stated.