“Do not allow Guinea-Bissau to collapse,” said the diplomat, while urging calm in the face of the month-long delay of election day.
After 20 political parties complained about the electoral roll prepared in 2004, the National Electoral Commission and the parties are reviewing the list, which is why the voting has been postponed with the consequent increase in political tensions.
The elections will mark the end of the political transition after the armed conflict in that country.
Ould Abdallah urged Guinea-Bissau's political leaders, especially former officials, to resist the temptation to resort to ethnic and religious manipulations, and to refrain from dividing the country, the army and other institutions.
Likewise, the envoy called on the international community to support the efforts of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the UN in Guinea-Bissau.
“Guinea-Bissau is a small, poor and unstable country. Let us not allow it to become a hostage to ill-intentioned groups and individuals,” she pointed out.