国际英语新闻:Nigerian president calls for peace ahead of general elections

ABUJA, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday called for peace among political contenders as the West African country is preparing for next year's general elections.

Jonathan appealed to all stakeholders in local politics not to overheat the polity, pledging that his administration would build a sustainable democratic infrastructure anchored on free and fair elections.

"International and local observers have attested to the positive evolution of electoral credibility and we cannot afford to relent. We will continue to ensure that the will of the electorate prevails so that political leaders would be reminded at all times that there is a day of reckoning when they have to go back to the people at the polls," he said, warning election days must not be days of violence and death.

While urging the citizens to ensure that the electoral process is characterized by peace, security and transparency, he told the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Nigeria's electoral body, all security agencies, politicians and the electorate to work together, conscientiously and peacefully, to consolidate on the gains of recent elections in the country.

"Free and fair elections have come to stay; nothing else will be acceptable to our people. As we move into an election year, desperate moves to overheat the polity are becoming a regular occurrence. Our political leaders in particular must know that the contest for power should not translate to the destruction of the polity, " said Jonathan. "The contest for the leadership of our country must yield good governance, and not ungovernable spaces. The love of country should rank higher than our individual ambitions."

He also stressed the necessity of remaining "committed to a united and indivisible Nigeria within democratic parameters." "The protection of individual rights, liberty, equality before the law, freedom of thought, and a progressive pursuit of a sound economy must be our goal."

Presidential election and elections into the national assembly of Nigeria will be held on Feb. 14, 2015, while the governorship elections will come up two weeks later, on Feb. 28, according to the INEC.