Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson held a special briefing today on the recent elections in Nigeria. Assistant Secretary Carson said:

“Nigeria has just completed its most successful elections since its return to multiparty democracy in 1999. Despite some technical imperfections, those elections represent a substantial improvement over the flawed 2007 electoral process. This reverses a downward democratic trajectory and provides the country a solid foundation for strengthening its electoral procedures and democratic institutions in the years to come. The Nigerian people have shown to the world their resilience and will to have their voices heard. These elections were a real opportunity to choose their leaders.

“This week, Nigerian voters returned to the polls for the fourth time and final time to select their state assembly members… more »