Abidjan, Ivory Coast (CNN) -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is warning against interference with the Ivory Coast electoral commission after a midnight deadline passed without the announcement of results.
In a statement Wednesday Ban said he regretted the delay but stressed "the need for the Independent Electoral Commission to complete its work and announce the provisional results," adding that the commission should receive more time "if required".
Earlier, the European Union representative, Catherine Ashton, called on the commission to publish the results by Wednesday evening as scheduled, calling it "essential to fully complete the process," according to a statement.
Once the electoral commission proclaims the final results, the constitutional council would then validate them.
The release of the results had already been delayed twice. CNN
