Brussels, 03/11/2010 (Agence Europe) - The European Union is very pleased with the high turnout of Ivory Coast voters during the first round of Sunday's presidential elections.
Catherine Ashton, the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy and vice president of the European Commission, declared on Tuesday that she was delighted by the great sense of responsibility demonstrated by Ivory Coast voters and the high turnout during the peaceful first round of the presidential elections. The high representative said that these elections represented a fundamental stage towards a crisis exit strategy, which was an important element in consolidating democracy in Ivory Coast.
Around 5.7 million people in this country voted last Sunday which, according to the president of the independent electoral commission, constitutes 80% of the population. Fourteen different candidates participated in the election, including Laurent Gbagbo, the outgoing president, Henri Konan Bédié, the former president, and Alassane Ouattara, the former prime minister. (A.N./transl.fl)