Elections Coordinating Committee (ECC)
Presidential & Legislative Campaign and Media Monitoring
2023 General Elections
Press Statement
Released: October 12, 2023 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“ECC calls all political parties and independent candidates to refrain from claiming presidential victory at such an early stage when results are still being tabulated”
As the National Elections Commission begins the pronouncement of official elections results, the Elections Coordinating Committee (ECC) calls on the opposition Unity Party (UP) and the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) to refrain from announcing unofficial results either on social media or through press conferences. The announcement of unofficial results by either or both of the parties can be provocative and has the tendency to trigger post-election conflict among their supporters and could turn violent.
In the same manner, ECC urges the NEC to effectively manage the tally of results at the magisterial levels and ensure that political parties do not interfere with the process. ECC during the early hours of Thursday, October 12, received reports of tension building at the central tally center located at the SKD Sports Complex due to the agents of political parties quarrelling over the number of agents allowed to observe the process. The NEC needs to properly coordinate the presence of observers and agents at the tally centers in order to prevent tension and reduce the risk of undue influence by agents of political parties. At the same time, the ECC urges the NEC to announce election results by providing more details including the names and numbers of the precincts and polling places.
The ECC received reports of a fire incident at the tallying center in Gbarnga which disrupted the process. The ECC calls on the Joint Security Taskforce to conduct a swift investigation of the incident. The ECC further calls on the Joint Security Taskforce to step up its presence at the tallying centers across the country during this critical period of the electoral cycle.
About ECC
The Elections Coordinating Committee (ECC) is Liberia’s largest domestic election observation network with diverse competencies, experiences, and expertise in democracy, elections, and governance established since 2010. ECC members include the Center for Democratic Governance (CDG); Center for Media Studies and Peace Building (CEMESP); Center for Conflict
Prevention and Peacebuilding (CECPAP); Institute for Research and Democratic Development (IREDD); Naymote Partners for Democratic Development (NAYMOTE-PADD); West Africa Network for Peace Building (WANEP), and the Women NGO Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSOL). The ECC election observation effort is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). “The contents of this update are the responsibility of the ECC and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.”