Off the wire
• UN chief calls on South Sudan authorities to support humanitarian interventions  • UN chief voices disappointment at no ceasefire in Yemen  • 5 countries ask to establish int'l criminal tribunal on downing of MH17  • Chicago corn, soybeans higher on U.S. crop yield uncertainty  • Czech PM refuses to guarantee loan to Greece  • Israel re-arrests released Palestinian hunger-striker  • Urgent: U.S. stocks leap on Greek debt deal  • 1st LD Writethru: Oil prices retreat amid ample supplies  • Greece deal good for Europe, global economy: U.S. treasury secretary  • 1st LD Writethru: U.S. dollar soars on rate-hike expectation  
You are here: 　 Home

UN concerned by CAR decision to deny refugees vote

Xinhua, July 14, 2015 Adjust font size:

UN agencies on Monday expressed concerns about the decision of the Central African Republic (CAR) authorities to deny CAR refugees the right to vote in the upcoming elections, said a UN spokesperson at a daily briefing here.

"The Humanitarian Coordinator for the Central African Republic, Aurelien A. Agbenonci, the (UN) High Commissioner for Refugees and the humanitarian community in the Central African Republic have expressed deep concerns regarding the decision by the Transitional National Council (CNT) to refuse Central African refugees vote in the forthcoming presidential elections and the potential impact of this decision on efforts to promote reconciliation and social cohesion in the country," said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary-general.

"The Humanitarian Coordinator said that such exclusion could have consequences on the credibility and inclusiveness of the upcoming elections," noted Dujarric.

Since December 2013, approximately 25 percent of the Central African population has been displaced inside the country and more than 460,000 have fled to Cameroon, Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as well as Chad, said Dujarric.

"This number is significant and represents a considerable electorate that cannot be ignored," stressed Dujarric.

The date of the first round of presidential and parliamentary elections in the CAR is Oct. 18, and a possible second round for the presidential election is scheduled for Nov. 22, according to earlier media reports.

The country has been unstable since its independence from France in 1960, blighted by power struggle and illegal weapons, among other scourges. Endite