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Foreign Minister Steinmeier on the elections in Nigeria

By Germany - Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Nigeria Foreign Minister Steinmeier on the elections in Nigeria
MAR 31, 2015 LISTEN

BERLIN, Germany, March 31, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Foreign Minister Steinmeier issued the following statement today (31 March) regarding the elections in Nigeria on the fringes of the negotiations on the Iranian nuclear programme in Lausanne:

The presidential and parliamentary elections in Nigeria were an emphatic commitment on the part of the Nigerian people to their democracy. Voters waited for hours with patience and perseverance to cast their ballots.

International election observers have commended the election process as largely “free and transparent”. That is a good sign and an important step forward for democracy in western Africa.

We now await the results with great suspense. According to initial interim results, the election outcome could be extremely close. It is therefore all the more important now to adhere to democratic processes and clarify any accusations of manipulation with recourse to the legally prescribed channels.

President Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari and their supporters are called on to respect the will of the electorate, not tolerate manipulations and to bring the election process to a conclusion with respect for Nigeria's democracy.

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