But Appeals To Political Parties, Candidates And Supporters Against Celebration
By George Y. Sharpe, gy.sharpe@yahoo.com
The head of mission of the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa International Election Observation Mission (EISA-IEOM) to Liberia has hailed Liberians for exercising their franchise in a peaceful manner on 10 October 2023.
Liberians went to the polls on Tuesday, 10 October 2023 to elect a new President, 15 Senators, and 73 Representatives. The international election observation mission was full of praise for candidates in the elections and their supporters, security personnel, and the media for playing their part to ensure a peaceful election on last Tuesday.
The EISA-IEOM, Dr. Nevers Mumba who is also a former Vice President of Zambia, however called on stakeholders, supporters, security personnel and the media to sustain the peace and exercise patience as the National Elections Commission tallies the votes to announce the final results.
Dr. Mumba at a news conference in Monrovia on 12 October 2023 pointed out that Liberians were generally peaceful and enthusiastic about the electoral process, although there were few noticeable exceptions.
“The National Elections Commission (NEC) discharged its responsibilities with diligence, often under difficult conditions, and EISA’s observers expressed confidence in the conduct of National Elections Commission staff.” Dr. Mumba said.
He however, highlighted that although voting proceeded without interruption throughout the day, there were some structural challenges such as poor crowd control, limited voting booths, and unfriendly voting buildings for persons with disabilities. He maintains that these challenges do not undermine the integrity of the elections but addressing them would improve the quality of future elections.
The former Zambian Vice President to the media that EISA’s mission in Liberia is to support the integrity of the 2023 Liberia presidential and legislative elections by assessing and reporting on all aspects of the electoral process. The organization has been in Liberia since January 2023.
Dr. Mumba said EISA also observed the presence of citizen observers in 56% of polling places observed by the organization. He noted that his mission observed that most polling places opened and closed on time, adding that all voters who were on the queue at the time of closing were allowed to cast their ballots before counting procedures began.
He pointed out the need to consider the possibility of legally moving Election Day to a time frame that does not coincide with the rainy season. This, according to Dr. Mumba, will reduce the logistical challenges and risks that were associated with NEC deployment of voting materials and voter participation.
He also urged the government to ensure the enforcement of the election laws, and consider rules that would prevent and prosecute voter trucking.
Dr. Mumba encouraged the National Elections Commission to strengthen its external communications at all stages of the electoral process for the commission to be more proactive, timely and precise with its civic and voter education and collaboration with civil society organizations.
The former Zambian VP also calls on political parties to stick to the principles of the Revised Farmington River Declaration and take a leading role as advocates for peace.
He also praised the media for its coverage of the 10 October 2023 elections, noting that most of the media coverage of the campaign was done on newscasts. He laude ECOWAS Radio for dedicating programs to women, which afforded women the platform to avail themselves ahead of the polls.
Dr. Mumba, however, encouraged the media prioritize professional training, especially in conflict-sensitive election reporting, to manage tensions and incidents of violence during election years. He called for the establishment of a media monitoring and regulation mechanism to combat misinformation.