Secretary-General Urges Peaceful, Credible Polls as Central African Republic Prepares to Elect President, Legislature

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

On the eve of the presidential and legislative elections in the Central African Republic, the Secretary-General calls on all national stakeholders to commit themselves to ensuring that the elections are conducted in a peaceful and credible manner.  The Secretary-General is encouraged to see that almost 2 million people have registered to vote in a clear demonstration of the population’s engagement to exercise their democratic franchise.

The Secretary-General reiterates that, in line with its mandate, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) is doing everything possible in cooperation with the national authorities to prevent any possible disruption of the electoral process.

The Secretary-General urges all political stakeholders to work closely with MINUSCA in this regard.  He calls on them to resolve disputes that may arise from the elections through legal and peaceful means in full respect of the code of conduct adopted on 9 December 2015.

The Secretary-General also commends the Transitional Authorities for having organized the referendum on the constitution earlier this month, under very challenging political, financial, logistical and security conditions.

The Secretary-General reiterates the continued commitment of the United Nations to assisting the Central African Republic towards a future of peace and stability.