| UN Chief Welcomes Conduct Of Polls In Niger, Benin
United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the outcome of presidential elections in Niger and the Republic of Benin.
Results
Niger’s National Independent Electoral Commission has announced that the opposition candidate Mahamadou Issoufou won Saturday’s election, defeating Seini Oumarou.
In Benin, the first round of election took place on Sunday after two previous ones, because of concerns over the credibility of the process.
Local reports said President Boni Yayi and opposition candidate Adrien Houngbedji would likely advance to a run-off round.
Post transition challenges
The UN chief described the elections as “peaceful and credible”, and pledged that the UN would “continue to assist the people of Niger and the future leadership in addressing post transition challenges.
The Secretary-General welcomed the peaceful and credible conduct of the poll, which constitutes an important step towards restoring democratic governance to the country.
Commendation
Ban also commended the “peaceful and orderly” conduct of the first round of presidential elections in Benin.
He said that the country had set a positive example by organising the ballot “without major incident and despite significant challenges related to the introduction of a new voter registration system’’.
The UN chief said the successful staging of the first round was “a testament to the patience and civic responsibility of the people of Benin.
He acknowledged the responsibility shown by all presidential candidates and call upon them to respect the final results and, if necessary, to resolve, through peaceful, legal means, any dispute that might arise from the electoral process.
NAN/Margaret |
