PHOTO: NEC Chair Davidetta Browne Lansanah
After some two weeks cleaning conducted by international IT experts and the National Elections Commission (NEC), “the quality of the voter roll” is now being enhanced, NEC Chair Davidetta Browne Lansanah said in Monrovia over the weekend.
Four data experts are in the country to assist NEC’s Data Center Team in cleaning the voter roll, ahead of the December 8 Special Senatorial Election and the Montserrado County District #9 and Sinoe County District #2 By-elections through the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and ECOWAS.
Through the recently ended voter roll update exercise, the total number of registered voter has gone up, with 299,969 voters being added to the list and will now have the opportunity to vote in the pending polls.
“With the conclusion of the data entry process, we are pleased to announce the conclusion of the 2020 Voter Roll Update exercise, during the update exercise, a total of Two Hundred, Ninety-nine Thousand, Nine Hundred and Sixty-nine (299, 969) new registrants were captured nationwide. Of this number, One Hundred, Eighteen Thousand, Nine Hundred and Twenty-three, (118, 923) constituting 39.6 percent, are females, while One Hundred Eighty-one Thousand Forty-six, (181, 046) constituting 60.4 percent, are males. Let me be quick to note that these numbers are provisional and they are likely to change due to the ongoing voter roll cleaning exercise,” says the NEC Chair.
The opposition Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) and prodemocracy groups have demanded that the voter roll is clean before the holding of the December 8 polls, with the CPP even threatening to boycott the elections if this isn’t done.
NEC under funded
On the financial preparedness of NEC for the pending elections, which due in less than four weeks, NEC Chair Davidetta Browne Lansanah disclosed that the Liberian government has so far provided only six million US dollars of the 13.5 million dollars of the proposed budget for the electoral process.
Below is full text of the NEC statement released to the media on Saturday, November 7, 2020:
Press Statement by Hon. Davidetta Browne Lansanah Chairperson, National
Elections Commission On the Exhibition of the Provisional Voter Roll Update on the Overall Electoral Process Friday, November 6, 2020
- SALUTATION
Fellow Commissioners, partners of the Commission, members of the Press, distinguished ladies and gentlemen,
- INTRODUCTION
Once again, I am pleased, on behalf of the National Elections Commission, to welcome you to this press conference. Today’s press conference is to formally announce the conclusion on the Voter Roll Update and Exhibition exercises. We will also brief the Liberian people on the statues of the electoral process with emphasis on the voter roll cleansing exercise, the electoral cases that were pending before the Commission, arrival of election materials and electoral violence.
- CONCLUSION OF THE VOTER ROLL UPDATE AND EXHIBITION
With the conclusion of the data entry process, we are pleased to announce the conclusion of the 2020 Voter Roll Update exercise, during the update exercise, a total of Two Hundred, Ninety-nine Thousand, Nine Hundred and Sixty-nine (299, 969) new registrants were captured nationwide. Of this number, One Hundred, Eighteen Thousand, Nine Hundred and Twenty-three, (118, 923) constituting 39.6 percent, are females, while One Hundred Eighty-one Thousand Forty-six, (181, 046) constituting 60.4 percent, are males. Let me be quick to note that these numbers are provisional and they are likely to change due to the ongoing voter roll cleaning exercise.
Prior to the VRU exercise, the NEC Data Center had done a lot of work in furtherance of cleaning the 2017 voter roll and the total number of registered voters at the beginning of the VRU exercise stood at Two Million, One Hundred, Eighty-three Thousand, Three Hundred Eighty-one (2, 183, 381).
With the inclusion of the additional Two Hundred Ninety-nine Thousand Nine
Hundred sixty-nine (299, 969) new registrants, the total number of registered voters stands provisionally at Two Million, Four Hundred, Eighty-three Thousand, Three Hundred Fifty (2, 483, 350).
Meanwhile, we are also pleased to I inform the Liberian people that the Exhibition of the voter roll was concluded on October 31, 2020 as scheduled and results from that exercise are being processed by the Data Center.
4. THE DATA CLEANING EXERCISE
Ladies and gentlemen of the press, we reported in our last conference that, pursuant to the Joint Resolution of the Honorable Legislature instructing the NEC to further clean the Voter Roll and, in our quest as a Commission to maintain and further strengthen the integrity of the roll, the NEC, in collaboration with the United National Development Program, (UNDP) Election Support Project and the ECOWAS Commission, brought in four data experts to support the Data enter staff. These data experts are currently providing support to the NEC Data Center staff in enhancing the quality of the voter roll for the December 8, 2020 Special Senatorial Elections; District # 9. Montserrado By-election; District # 2, Sinoe County By-election; and the Constitutional Referendum.
The team has been working for two weeks now and has been providing preliminary briefings to political parties and other stakeholders on the status of thee voter roll and the work they, along with the NEC Data Center Team, are doing to get the voter roll ready for the December 8th elections.
It pleases me to report that the UN and ECOWAS experts have given a lot of credit to the NEC Data Tem for the level of expertise and professionalism these Liberians have exhibited even prior to the arrival of the international data experts.
Meanwhile, the NEC remains highly appreciative of the invaluable contributions that the United Nations and ECOWAS have made and continue to make in helping to sustain the democratic process in our nation.
5.ARRIVAL OF PREPACKED MATERIALS
Members of the Press, we are pleased to announce that on Sunday, November 1, 2020, Unique Enterprise, a Liberian-owned company, delivered the prepacked materials for the December 8th elections (mainly stationary items). The arrival of these materials in the country followed the issuance of a “letter of no rejection” by the Public Procurement and Concession Commission (PPCC) for the NEC to award the said contract to Unique Enterprise.
6. STATUS OF ELECTORAL CASES
Members of the press, after the publication of the provisional list of candidates for the 2020 Special Senatorial Elections, the NEC received two complaints. One concerned aspirant Alfred Segbe of Grand Kru County, while the other concerns aspirant Brownie J. Samukai of Lofa County. The complaint concerning Mr. Segbe was heard and denied at the level of the Commission. No appeal was taken.
The compliant concerning Mr. Samukai was heard and denied at the level of the Commission. An appeal in this matter is pending before the Honorable Supreme Court.
Additionally, the Commission received complaints from perspective aspirants whose names are not on the provisional list of candidates: One is from Mr. Mulbah Jackollie, and the other is from Hon. George B. Samah. The Commission heard and denied their respective complaints. Not satisfied, each announced appeal to the Honorable Supreme Court.
With respect to the representative By-election for District # 9, Montserrdo
County, the Commission received one complaint from Mr. Jackson Morlu. The Commission heard and denied his complaint. Not satisfied, Mr. Morlu announced appeal to the Honorable Supreme Court.
The Commission did not receive any complaint concerning he District # 2, Sinoe County By-election.
FUNDING
Ladies and gentlemen of the press, we want to take this time to thank the Government of Liberia for funds provided for the process so far. To date, the government has made available close to six million dollars for thee 13.5 million dollars proposed budget for the process. As we approach the most critical stages in the process, we remain engaged with the authorities, as a matter of urgency, to provide the remaining funds to enable the NEC pay its debts and prepare further for the December 8th elections.
Additionally, the NEC is now embarking on the recruitment and training of over 30 thousand temporary staff, and there is also the need for massive voter education and gender outreach activities across the country given the limitation of time for these activities.
7. MEASURES AGAINST THE SPREAD OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Ladies and gentlemen of the press, as we move towards the climax of these electoral exercise, the NEC will continue its collaboration with health authorities to ensure the protection of its staff and others against the Coronavirus disease.
8. ELECTORAL VIOLENCE
Ladies and gentlemen of the press, we wish to use this medium to thank political parties, independent aspirants and their supporters for keeping the peace so far. As we approach December 8, we call on all political actors and stakeholders to conduct themselves in a manner that will keep our country stable at all times. The NEC assures the Liberian people of its continued commitment to conduct these elections in a credible and transparent manner.
9. CONCLUSION
Finally, the Commission would like to thank all stakeholders, including political parties, civil society, international partners, the media and the general Liberian public for their support to the electoral process. Many thanks and appreciation also go to NEC staff as well as temporary VRU staff for their services to this country. Let us continue to make these sacrifices for the betterment of our nation.
I THANK YOU