Côte d'Ivoire / UNOCI head discusses electoral process with Constitutional Court Chair

ABIDJAN, Côte d'Ivoire, November 21, 2011/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Côte d'Ivoire, Bert Koenders, visited the headquarters of the Constitutional Court on Monday 21 November 2011 to pay a courtesy call on its chairman, Francis Wodié.

« The Constitutional Council is a major institution in the country, » Mr. Koenders said after the meeting, which lasted three quarters of an hour. “It is very important before the elections, for example in the event of disputes, but also afterwards, and it is important for me to know its point of view.”

« UNOCI is actively supporting Côte d'Ivoire with a view to having open, free, fair and transparent elections,” he stated, adding that to attain that objective, it was necessary to communicate with the Council, have discussions with it and be aware of its importance as well as that of all other institutions involved in the elections.

The Council's president welcomed the visit which, he said, was a sign of the two institutions' will to cooperate. In that regard, he explained that the council, UNOCI and the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) were three institutions concerned by the elections at different levels. “It is therefore important for us to talk to one another as much as possible so as to harmonise our points of view and avoid any conflicts,” Mr. Wodié said.

Asked about possible disputes regarding the candidates' list, the Constitutional Court head said the issue had also been discussed during his talks with Special Representative Koenders. “We spoke of the disputes; that's is our role and we've decided on the principle of pursuing our discussions so that the elections can take place in the best possible conditions, in all safety and calm, and in all justice,” Mr. Wodié said.

Finally, he disclosed that the International Criminal Court (ICC) was awaiting the publishing of the definitive list of candidates, after having processed the applications it had received.