As
in
Guinea Bissau
10% Denied
Vote, UN Looks
to 2d Round,
Drug Lord
Bygone
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
March 28 --
Ten days ago
Guinea Bissau
held a first
round of
elections, in
which 10% of
those
registered
were not
allowed to
vote
and the
country's
former
intelligence
chief was
assassinated
five
hours after
the poll.
On
Wednesday the
Security
Council met
about Guinea
Bissau and
afterward
Deputy
Permanent
Representative
Philip Parham
of the UK,
this month's
Council
president,
began telling
the Press that
we heard how
the
first round of
the elections,
following the
death of the
President in
January, had
been conducted
successfully
and, as far as
everyone can
see, freely
and fairly, on
18 March."
Inner
City Press
asked, "it
seems like the
number two
candidate,
Kumba Yala,
has
said he wants
boycott, said
that up to 10%
of the people
that were
registered
weren’t
allowed to
vote in the
first round.
There’s
this former
Intelligence
Chief killed
five hours
after the
election
and another
former
Official
[Jose] Zamora
Induta went to
the EU
compound... I
heard some
people saying
things are
looking good.
But
are these
problematic?"
Ambassador
Parham replied
that
"They
are
certainly
problematic. I
mean, what is
good is that
the first
round was
conducted in a
way which
observers from
the AU, from
ECOWAS
and from
elsewhere,
including some
visiting
Parliamentarians
from the
UK, reckoned
was
essentially
free and fair,
so that is
good and it’s
good that that
was done
constitutionally
within 60 days
of the
unfortunate
death of the
President in
January.
Clearly, it’s
not
good that the
former Head of
Intelligence
was murdered
shortly after
polls had
closed, not
good that the
former Head of
the Military
has
felt he has to
take refuge
and the
relations
between the
between the
sort of
civilian
authorities
and the
Military are
clearly still
an
important
issue and the
question about
the
participation
in the
second round
of the
elections is
clearly an
important
issue and
Joseph
Mutaboba the
SRSG made
clear that
they are very
engaged on
trying to
ensure that
the parties,
as far as
possible, work
together
constructively,
so even as
they compete
in the second
round, and we
hope they will
compete in the
second round,
they do so in
a way that
will lead to a
stable outcome
which
everybody will
accept and
ECOWAS
and the
African Union
are also
involved in
that effort
and we heard
that they will
be sending a
Mission to
Guinea-Bissau
shortly in
order
to encourage
all the
parties to
work
constructively
together."
Previously,
the UN
under
Mr. Mutaboba
provided long
term shelter
or sanctuary
to a
US-listed
narcotics
kingpin.
The UN has not
pushed for
accountability
for the
assassinations
in 2009; a
Permanent
Representative
on
Wednesday told
Inner City
Press the
murder of
former
intelligence
chief Colonel
Diallo was
"just a
settling of
accounts," and
somehow not
related to the
election.
Inner
City Press
asked a range
of Security
Council
members on
Wednesday
about Guinea
Bissau; a
common theme
of their
responses was
that "things
are
relative,"
seeming to
mean that for
Guinea Bissau,
ten percent
of voters
disenfranchised
might not be
so bad, things
could be
worse.
While it may
be realistic
to apply
different
standards, it
should at
least be
noted. Watch
this site.
, 
