The United Nations and other international diplomatic mission in Liberia have praised Liberians for the “smooth and orderly running ” of the December 8 elections and national referendum.
The diplomatic mission also commended the Liberian government, the National Elections Commission, civil society groups, observers, the media and other for the peaceful conduct of the polls on Tuesday.
But as NEC continues to tally and announce the provisional results, the diplomatic mission cautioned in a joint statement issued on Friday, December 11, 2020: all political parties, leaders and supporters, as well as candidates, respect this process and wait patiently until the tallying is completed and the results are officially announced. all political parties, leaders and supporters, as well as candidates, respect this process and wait patiently until the tallying is completed and the results are officially announced.
Below is full text of the international diplomatic missions’ joint statement:
Joint Statement on the December 8 Mid-Term Senatorial Election and Constitutional Referendum in Liberia by the United Nations in Liberia, ECOWAS, Embassies of Member States of the African Union, the Delegation of the European Union and the Embassies of the Member States of the European Union (France, Germany, Ireland, and Sweden), the Embassy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Embassy of the United States of America
MONROVIA (December 11, 2020) – The United Nations in Liberia, ECOWAS, Embassies of Member States of the African Union, the EU Delegation and the Embassies of the EU Member States (France, Germany, Ireland, and Sweden), the Embassy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Embassy of the United States of America commend the Liberian people and government, as well as political leaders, civil society organizations and the media for the peaceful conduct of the December 8 mid-term Senatorial election and constitutional referendum.
We have been inspired by the strong commitment to democracy expressed by Liberians in these elections. We express appreciation for the efforts of the National Elections Commission (NEC), and in particular, poll workers present at polling places across the country, as well as all those mobilized on Election Day including domestic observers and members of security forces, for the overall smooth and orderly running of the elections. We welcome and support the announcement by the NEC that those electoral irregularities and incidents identified during Election Day will be properly addressed.
As the tallying process by the NEC continues, we underscore the importance that all political parties, leaders and supporters, as well as candidates, respect this process and wait patiently until the tallying is completed and the results are officially announced. We again recall the commitments made by stakeholders in the Code of Conduct to ensure a peaceful and transparent electoral process. We call on all political parties, leaders, candidates and media actors to renounce the use of inciting language and premature declarations of victory. We also call on political leaders and candidates to pursue any disputes through peaceful means and dialogue in accordance with the law.
International partners continue to follow closely the electoral process. We are confident in the strong commitment of the people of Liberia to democracy, peace and stability, and remain fully resolute to continuing our support to Liberians in their development and peacebuilding efforts.