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afrol.com, 19 October - A forceful signal of growing international isolation was sent Ivorian President, General Robert Guei, yesterday, as the United Nations joined in line withdrawing its support for Sunday's presidential elections. The illegitimacy of the elections thus is well accounted for. The background for the growing isolation of the Ivorian Government is a Supreme Court ruling earlier this month, barring the top opposition candidates from standing at the presidential elections on 22 October. The ruling came despite of the unison warnings from governments, NGOs and international organisations from all over the world. On Tuesday, the UN resident coordinator in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire informed the international community that the United Nations will no longer be involved in the coordination of the international observers sent in for the presidential elections this coming Sunday. According to UN officials, the decision was taken because so many countries and organizations that were providing observers and funding for Sunday's presidential elections have withdrawn their support. Among those who have declined to send observers are the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and the Francophonie as well as non-governmental organizations such as the National Democratic Institute of the United States. Earlier, the US government and the European Union, who funded the country's referendum in July, announced that they suspend their assistance for the organisation of the elections because of the Ivorian Supreme Court's disqualification of the 14 candidates. The US government maintained that it did not support coup plotters like Guei transforming themselves into civilian leaders. The OAU has similarly objected to Guei's candidacy and stated clearly that if he must run for the position, then he must allow all the other contestants to run, too. France has described the court ruling as "undemocratic". Earlier this month, Secretary-General Kofi Annan strongly deplored the fact that many candidates representing important political parties would be excluded from Côte d'Ivoire's upcoming presidential elections. In his statement of 9 October, the Secretary-General recalled that the UN had repeatedly demanded that the authorities in Côte d'Ivoire work on a political transition leading to a return to constitutional legality, based on democratic elections for the President and legislature that are open and transparent. The National Democratic Institute of the United States (NDI), which is a major contributor to electoral processes worldwide, also withdrew its support. Its decision is rooted in the Supreme Court ruling, under consideration "that the political crisis of the last twelve months has deeply shaken the integrity and independence of the Ivorian judiciary". Prior to the courts ruling, the NDI expressed "concerns related to the recent appointment of judges to the Supreme Court, the body tasked with ruling on the eligibility of presidential candidates. Many Ivorians are apprehensive that some recent appointees to the court have close ties to the military regime, thereby raising questions about their credibility and neutrality." The main oppositional parties are boycotting the elections, saying they "could never be credible" without their candidates participating. They further called all Ivorians to boycott the poll. Reports from Côte d'Ivoire say that, after an imposing opening, the election campaign has turned dull and is met with massive disinterest. However, according to PANA, the chairman of the Ivorian Electoral Commission, Honore Guie, said the country will still pull through the elections at the expense of other activities. One of such activities is the cancellation of payment of foreign debts.
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