The electoral body stated at the meeting that it is awaiting government approval of the election budget, after rejecting the initial figure of 250 million, according to a press release.

PEC representatives noted that they are also awaiting the publication of the electoral decree and the electoral calendar in official media, the statement added.

For their part, the leaders of the ARF, an institution reinforced by international troops under UN coordination, outlined their role in guaranteeing, alongside the Police and the Army, a secure environment for the elections.

“The meeting between the two entities,” the text emphasizes, “allowed the PEC to better understand the ARF’s mission in establishing an environment conducive to holding these elections.”

The PEC currently lacks a legal framework for organizing these elections and has been operating “blindly” since Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé’s government modified the mandate of the electoral advisors, the statement explains.

abo/arm/mem/apb