ECOWAS deploys observers in Côte d'Ivoire ahead of presidential election

01 Novembre 2020

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, October 31 (Infosplusgabon) - The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Thursday deployed a 90-member observer mission to Côte d'Ivoire for the presidential election, scheduled to take place on October 31, 2020.

"In the message of support and encouragement delivered at the deployment of the mission, Dr Remi Ajibewa, the Director of Political Affairs at ECOWAS, expressed the determination of the organization to ensure that the Ivorian polls are conducted in accordance with the provisions of the 2001 ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance," said an ECOWAS communiqué.

"While thanking the observers for having willingly sacrificed their time to undertake this important regional mission, Gen. Francis Awagbe Behanzin, the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, stressed that ECOWAS, within the framework of the electoral assistance programme to Member States, has deployed technical experts and observers in Côte d'Ivoire," the commission said.

It added that Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, President of the ECOWAS Commission, approved the deployment of a pre-electoral mission composed of 10 long-term and 80 short-term election observers to support and monitor the entire electoral process.

It called on the military to demonstrate professionalism in the management of electoral issues.

For his part, Cheikh Hadjibou Soumaré, the head of the ECOWAS electoral observation mission for the presidential election in Côte d'Ivoire, and former Senegalese Prime Minister, stressed that ECOWAS will provide support to Côte d'Ivoire to ensure the holding of a credible, peaceful and transparent election.

Soumaré said that given the diversity of the observers' areas of expertise, he is confident that they will be able to present the world with a picture that accurately reflects the situation with regard to this election.

FIN/INFOSPLUSGABON/VVC/GABON2020

© Copyright  Infosplusgabon