UN chief hails peaceful elections in Comoros

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday commended the Comorian people for a peaceful presidential election, said a statement from Ban's spokesman.

Voters in the small African country also voted for governors of Grande Comore, Anjouan and Moheli on April 10.

The elections are an important step in the consolidation of democracy in Comoros, said the statement.

Following the announcement of the provisional election results by the Independent National Electoral Commission on Friday, Ban called on all stakeholders to "maintain a democratic spirit and resolve any dispute that may arise from the elections through legal and peaceful means."

Azali Assoumani, a former coup leader, was elected President of the Comorosarchipelago islands at the second-round vote held Sunday, according to official results released Friday.

Assoumani won 40.98 percent of the vote, ahead of his main rival Vice President Mohamed Ali Soilihi with 39.87 percent.

Comoros is an island country in the Western Indian Ocean. It has a population of 780,000 people and is one of the least developed countries in the world.

Source: XINHUA