By Our Staff Write
\Initially, the registration of voters for Liberia’s October 2023 presidential and legislative elections should have started December 15, 2022 but it could not, due to a row over procurement of contract for the printing of biometric voter registration materials.
Next year’s elections will see incumbent President George Manneh Weah and his ruling CDC making their second term bid, while all 73 seats in the House of Representatives and half of the 30-member Senate up for grabs.
With an apparent end to the confusion, the National Elections Commission (NEC) has set a new date for the start of the biometric VR exercise, as the Chairman of the Commission, Davidetta Browne-Lansanah announced on Thursday, December 22, 2022 “that LAXTON Group was selected to provide the goods and services for the Voter Registration exercise and that a contract has been signed by; the parties and attested to by the Government of Liberia.”
In a statement during a news conference at the commission’s headquarters in Sinkor, Monrovia, NEC informed the public that the 2023 Voter Registration exercise will begin on 20 March 2023 and will end on 11 May 2023.
FLASHBACK: Timetable that never kicked off
The Commission says the Voter Registration Exercise will be conducted in two phases.
According to the Commission, phase one of the Voter Registration Exercise runs from 20 March 2023 and will last for three weeks, ending on 9 April 2023.
The NEC says, phase two of the Voter Registration exercise will begin on 10 April 2023 and will last for three weeks, ending on 11 May 2023.
As NEC pushes kick off of the VR to late March ending by mid-May 2023, are there implications for the smooth implementation of a new elections timetable by then less than five months to the polls? Since this is the first time biometric VR is being introduced in Liberia, is NEC prepared to cope with the expected challenges in delay of the implementation of the timetable?
Weeks ago, two leading civil society organizations in the electoral sector have expressed grave concern on the slow pace of the process by the National Elections Commission in handling key process leading to the holding to the presidential and legislative elections. Both elections watchdog groups warned at the time: “The credibility of voter registration is a prerequisite for the conduct of a credible elections and as such, due care must be taken in the conduct of this exercise.” 2023 Elections “Uncertainty”: ECC And LEON Raising Alarm – News Public Trust
Meanwhile, NEC said it has received funding from the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning in the tune of 10 million, given in United States and Liberian Dollars for the Voter Registration exercise.
According to Chairperson Browne-Lansanah, the NEC “is working with the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning on disbursing the remaining United States Dollars, 8, 377, 000 as balance due the Commission as per the 2022 fiscal year approved budget.”
Meanwhile, the National Elections Commission informs the public that the procurement for Biometric Equipment, Software and, Materials for the Voter Registration exercise has been concluded.