Cote d'Ivoire: Campaign for By-Elections in 12 Constituencies

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A headline in Monday's issue of Fraternite Matin (p. 1) said that 13 out of the 71 candidates in the February 26 by-elections have withdrawn from the race while the campaign for the elections to fill seats in 12 constituencies is underway. The paper (p. 7), which attributed this information to the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI), said the electoral body has not given any reason that motivated the decision by the 13 candidates to pull out of the competition.

Fraternite Matin (p. 6) carried in its weekend's edition a statement issued by the CEI calling on candidates in the February 26 by-elections to organize "a peaceful campaign." The statement was issued on the eve of the electoral campaign that kicked off last Saturday. In a related development, a report in Fraternite Matin (p. 7) quoted Bert Koenders, the Secretary-General's Special Representative and the head of the UN peacekeeping mission in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI) as saying that the December 11 parliamentary elections conformed with "international standards." According to the paper, the head of the UN mission has certified the elections whose results in 11 constituencies were annulled by the Constitutional Council after complaints were lodged over irregularities. "These elections constitute an important step in the entrenchment of democracy" in Cote d'Ivoire, the paper quotes Koenders as saying.

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