Secretary-General Appeals for Peaceful, Orderly Guinea-Bissau Presidential Poll

The following statement was issued on 15 March by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

As Guinea-Bissau prepares to hold presidential elections on Sunday, 18 March 2012, the Secretary-General appeals to national stakeholders, including the Government, political parties, civil society and the population as a whole, to ensure that the poll takes place in a peaceful, orderly and transparent manner.  He calls on the candidates to follow existing legal procedures to resolve any electoral grievances that might arise and to respect the official results announced by the Supreme Court.  The Secretary-General reaffirms the commitment of the United Nations to continue to support national efforts towards sustainable peacebuilding, socio-economic development and respect for the rule of law.

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For information media • not an official record