Carter Center congratulates Alassane Ouattara on his election as president of Cote d'Ivoire.

The Carter Center congratulates Alassane Ouattara on his election as president of Cote d'Ivoire.  The Center equally appreciates the efforts of Prime Minister Guillaume Soro to ensure the credibility of the entire electoral process.

The Center calls on all Ivoirian political leaders to respect the will of the Ivorian people as expressed through the election results announced by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and certified by the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations.

As noted in the Center's Nov. 30 statement, Carter Center observers saw no evidence of systematic irregularities that would have a significant impact on the results. The Carter Center's overall assessment is that the conduct of the run-off election met international standards. The Center finds the Constitutional Council has misapplied the electoral law by choosing to annul partial results.

The Center welcomes the recent statements of support for the integrity of the electoral process from many of Cote d'Ivoire's international partners, including the African Union, Facilitator of the Ouagadougou Peace Accord President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, the European Union, and several other governments, including France, the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada.

The Center is concerned about the extremely confusing political situation since the Constitutional Council's decision, and the numerous incidents of violence among party supporters and in some instances involving security forces. 

The Center echoes the appeal of U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to outgoing President Laurent Gbagbo to cooperate in a smooth political transition in Cote d'Ivoire.  All political actors must work together to restore stability and an enduring peace.

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A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, The Carter Center has helped to improve life for people in more than 70 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; improving mental health care; and teaching farmers in developing nations to increase crop production. The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide.