Assembly/AU/6(XV) Page 14 Envoy of the Chairperson of the Commission to Niger, Professor Albert Tevoedjre, Mediator of the Republic of Benin, has undertaken several missions to Niger. On 11 March 2010, General Salou Djibo, President of the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy (CSRD), signed a decree by which members of the CSRD and the Transitional Government undertook not to stand in the presidential election. On 7 April 2010, the de facto authorities set up a National Advisory Council with responsibility to organize the transition. This Council has established a one-year transition programme which provides, among other things, for the organization of a constitutional referendum, municipal and legislative elections and presidential elections scheduled for 26 December 2010. The swearing-in ceremony of the President-elect was set for 1 March 2011. 64. The Assembly may wish to express satisfaction at the detailed transition programme prepared by the de facto authorities in Niger, and appeal to all the players concerned to place the higher interest of Niger above partisan considerations, which could delay or compromise the transition. The Assembly may also wish to express concern at the food shortage facing Niger and appeal to Member States and development partners to provide the necessary assistance. It remains clearly understood that the restrictive sanctions imposed against Niger will remain in force until the effective restoration of constitutional order. 65. Substantial progress has been made in the process of restoration of constitutional order in Guinea, in keeping with the Joint Ouagadougou Declaration of 15 January 2010. In this respect, mention needs to be made of the signing of the basic texts indispensable for the organization and holding of presidential elections. This legal arsenal, as well as the Guinean Government’s disbursement of the totality of its financial contribution towards the electoral process, paved the way for the presidential and the other elections that should conclude the transition in Guinea. As a result, the first round of the presidential elections took place as scheduled on 27 June 2010. The elections were deemed to be transparent by all the election observer missions deployed in Guinea, including the AU Observer Mission led by Edem Kodjo, former Secretary General of the OAU. Due to the tension after the first round, the Chairperson of the Commission travelled to Conakry on 7 July 2010 in order to urge the Guinean political class to demonstrate maturity and refrain from any action that could undermine the remarkable progress made on the path to democratization and the return to constitutional order. 66. Furthermore, pursuant to the Decision of the PSC, which at its 220th Meeting held on 11 March 2010, appealed for support to the institutional reforms designed to consolidate democracy, national reconciliation and economic development, the AU alongside ECOWAS and the United Nations, participated in the mission to evaluate the security sector reform (SSR) in Guinea. The assessment report prepared on that occasion was officially handed to the Guinean Authorities on 4 May 2010, in the presence of the Special Envoy of the Chairperson of the Commission. 67. The Assembly should appeal to the Guinean parties to demonstrate the spirit of responsibility and work together with a view to establishing conditions conducive to rapid holding of the second round of the presidential elections and the completion of the transition; furthermore, the Assembly may wish to express its appreciation and support to the President and other actors of the Transition, as well as the IEC, for the