Guinea: Ban welcomes multi-party dialogue to overcome electoral challenges

The spokesperson for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today that the UN chief is “encouraged” by the progress made in the multi-party political dialogue underway in the Guinean capital, Conakry.

“The Secretary-General welcomes the constructive spirit in which the Guinean parties have pursued the dialogue,” his spokesperson said in a statement.

The dialogue is taking place with the assistance of the International Facilitator, UN Special Representative for West Africa Saïd Djinnit, and his national counterparts, according to the statement.

Mr. Ban “encourages the parties to build on this positive atmosphere in order to resolve outstanding issues and create the conditions for free, fair, and peaceful legislative elections,” the spokesperson added.

Last week, Mr. Djinnit welcomed the start of substantive discussions between the Government and the opposition to overcome challenges in the electoral process.

In March, protests in the West African nation related to the polls led to several deaths and hundreds of injuries. At that time, both Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the UN human rights office appealed for calm amid the violence and urged political actors in Guinea to pursue dialogue to create conditions for peaceful elections.