UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- A UN official on Friday warned of the danger of a new political crisis in Guinea-Bissau over delayed legislative elections.
"Guinea-Bissau risks lurching from one political crisis to another, unless decisive steps are taken by the government to meet the new election date decreed by the president," said UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Taye-Brook Zerihoun.
Legislative elections were scheduled for Nov. 18, but have been postponed by technical challenges. President Jose Mario Vaz on Thursday issued a decree, setting March 10, 2019, as the new election date.
The government declared the completion of voter registration on Wednesday after twists and turns as a result of a political wrangle over technical aspects of the voter registration, during which accusations were traded of attempts to rig and deliberately delay the process, Zerihoun told the Security Council.
Such tensions have contributed to an unhealthy pre-electoral atmosphere in the country, he said.
"At this juncture, the international community should consider sending a strong message to the Bissau-Guinean authorities and political actors to demonstrate the requisite political will for the organization of credible legislative elections and refrain from further delaying the process," Zerihoun said.
