ABIDJAN, Oct 19 (AFP) - Ivory Coast's military ruler General Robert Guei
said in a radio address he would step aside if defeated in Sunday's
presidential election.
   "Rest assured of one thing, dear compatriots, if I am beaten in the
election, it is as the rightful heir to (former) president Felix Houphouet
Boigny and as a convinced and sincere democrat that I will transfer power,
in
accordance with the law, to the new president freely chosen by the Ivorian
people," Guei said.
   "All measures have been taken, and others will follow, so that the people
of Ivory Coast can freely express themselves on October 22 and choose
without
constraint and in total transparence who will lead them towards their new
destiny," he added.
   The general, in power since a December 24 military coup, called on voters
not to respect the boycott called by the former ruling Ivory Coast
Democratic
Party (PDCI) and the Rally of Republicans (RDR) led by former prime minister
Alassane Ouattara.
   Both parties had their candidates disqualified from the presidential race
by a Supreme Court ruling rendered October 6.
   "Do not listen to those voices who call you to boycott these elections,
for
they are the ones who want trouble for our country," Guei said.
   "Those voices are for the most part the voices of our compatriots who do
not hesitate to sell their conscience in placing themselves above the
overall
interest of Ivorians and of Ivory Coast."
   Guei again defended the decision "taken entirely independently of any
other
authority" by the constitutional chamber of the Supreme Court, whose members
he appointed and which is headed by his former legal adviser.
   The general also announced that Ivory Coast's borders and airports will
be
closed from 10:00 pm (2200 GMT) until 8:00 am (0800 GMT) every evening from
Friday until Monday, the measure being lifted at 8:00 am Tuesday.
   "This security precaution is to guarantee the peace and stability of our
country and should not be seen as an electoral strategy," Guei said.
   so/crl/sst

_________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.

Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at
http://profiles.msn.com.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask]
if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------