UN chief hails conclusion of Guinea's presidential election process

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon on Friday welcomed the conclusion of Guinea's presidential election process following the certification by the Supreme Court which confirmed the final results.

"The secretary-general commends the people of Guinea, the national authorities, political leaders and their supporters for the conduct of the election and calls on all Guineans to accept the results and to move forward in peace and national reconciliation towards a stable and prosperous future," said a statement released here by Ban's spokesperson.

The presidential run-off which took place Nov. 7 left Alpha Conde, which was confirmed Friday by the Supreme Court.

The secretary-general congratulated Conde and stressed that he "trusts that the president-elect will spare no effort in consolidating and promoting national unity."

Ban deplored incidents of violence, reports of human rights violations and allegations of excessive use of force by security forces following the release of the provisional results on Nov. 15.

The secretary-general stressed "the need to respect international human rights standards" and called on security forces to ensure the protection of all Guineans.

He also warned that those who "may incite or perpetrate violence" will be held accountable.

Ban commended all the efforts who worked for a peaceful transition in Guinea, including the country's leaders, President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso, in his capacity as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Mediator for Guinea, representatives of the African Union (AU) and ECOWAS, in addition to Guinea's other international partners.

"The United Nations will continue to support national reconciliation, peace building and development efforts in Guinea," said Ban.

The confirmation by the Supreme Court completed the electoral process which began in June to end the West African country's political crisis following a military coup in December 2008.

Source: Xinhua