Share & more
US State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher said on Thursday that Washington was “deeply concerned by reports that General (Robert) Guei has applied to be considered as the candidate of the Democratic Party of Cote d’Ivoire”.
Boucher’s statement followed media reports quoting senior officials of the former ruling Parti Democratique de Cote d’Ivoire (PDCI) as saying that Guei was one of its presidential hopefuls.
“The United States believes that the electoral process in Cote d’Ivoire must be as transparent as possible,” Boucher said. “Serious doubt would be cast on the fairness and legitimacy of the process if an individual who had come to power in a military coup at the head of the government then oversaw elections in which he was a candidate.
“We would hope that General Guei would avoid any such move, which would inevitably compromise the perceived integrity of the electoral process.”
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
