Abidjan, 10 November 2009... The handover of the provisional electoral list is a great step towards resolving the Ivorian crisis, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Côte d'Ivoire, Y.J. Choi, said in Abidjan on Tuesday while receiving the list from the Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), Robert Beugré Mambé.

He said that there were still important steps remaining, but the elections were now close at hand. He urged everyone to do their utmost to overcome the remaining challenges.

Earlier, the head of the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) had welcomed the excellent work accomplished by the technical operators, the National Institute of Statistics and Sagem, as well as the IEC and the Prime Minister's Office which made it possible to complete the mobile courts hearings and the identification and voter registration operation. Meanwhile, he expressed the hope that the process would proceed more quickly so that the remaining technical stages, such as the production of identity and voters' cards, can be rapidly achieved and the cards distributed before the presidential election.

For his part, the Chairman of the IEC, Robert Beugré Mambé, said that with the logistical support provided, namely ground, air and river transport, everything will be in place to ensure the distribution of the provisional electoral list throughout the country. "On behalf of the IEC, I would like to entrust the transportation of the electoral list to UNOCI so that from tomorrow or from Thursday, it will be sent to all the sous-préfectures and, with the help of PNUD, it will be posted at all the polling stations, so that challenging can begin, after which we can produce a definite list which will lead to the organization of elections," he said, thanking UNOCI for its remarkable support to the electoral process.