Liberian Journalists in the Americas are calling on political parties, candidates and their fellow compatriots back home to avoid acts of violence in Tuesday’s presidential and legislative elections, a press statement from the Association of Liberian Journalists in the Americas (ALJA) said at the weekend.
In the statement issued in Delaware, USA and signed by its President Moses Sandy, ALJA urged the NEC and the international community comprising the ECOWAS, African Union (AU), European Union (EU), and the UN to ensure that the election is free, fair, transparent, and participatory.
The Association said it would personally hold responsible anyone, candidate or political leader whose statements or actions instigate violence, disrupt the election or negatively impact the smooth democratic process.
ALJA warned that it would not hesitate to call on the US government, the EU, ECOWAS, and the AU to also hold accountable and deny entry to, or arrest any political leaders who stir up elections related conflict in Liberia.
The Liberian Journalists in the Americas maintained that the October 10th election marks a critical period in Liberia’s quest for sustained democracy, stability, and peaceful co-existence.
“The manner in which this election is conducted has the propensity to either sustain or impede the peace and tranquility the country has enjoyed for the past 12 years,” ALJA President Sandy noted.
At the same time, ALJA is calling on the NEC and the international community to ensure that all accredited journalists, election monitors, and observers are given unrestricted access to polling centers on elections day.
The Association is urging all registered Liberian voters to exercise their political franchise by fully participating in Tuesday’s election. The group described the upcoming polls as crucial, because it would prepare Liberia for a peaceful transition of power between democratically elected leaders since 1944.
This year’s presidential and legislative elections will climax President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf’s second-term presidency after being in office for 12 years.
Sirleaf won a second term in 2011. She was first elected in 2005, after becoming Liberia and Africa’s first democratically elected female Head of State following the country’s protracted civil war, which started on December 24, 1989. She is Liberia’s 24th president.