Measures To End Campaign Finance Abuse, Delimitation Of Electoral Constituency Boundaries In Line With Liberia’s Constitution
PHOTO: Cllr. Oscar Bloh, ECC Chairman
By Augustine Octavius, augustineoctavius@gmail.com
The Elections Coordinating Committee (ECC) has advanced a nine -count recommendations reforming the election laws and improve the internal democratization in the country.
ECC’s Chairman, Counselor Oscar Bloh, proposed among other things that the Act that created the Governance Commission be amended to give the GC the oversight of the operations of political parties including registration, resolution of intra-party grievances, nomination of candidates and financial resources and management.
Cllr. Bloh advanced the recommendations when the Elections Coordinating Committee released its official publication on final technical observation reports and findings in the 2023 presidential and legislative elections in Monrovia last Thursday.
“To ensure increased women’s participation, “the National election law should be amended to it mandatory for political parties, coalition or alliances to have not less that 30 percent of either gender on their list for the nomination of candidates,” the ECC said,“the government establishes an escrow account one year before the conduct of the next general election where resources can be disbursed ahead of these elections so that activities are implemented by NEC in a timely manner.”
According to Cllr. Bloh, the National Legislature should use the latest census report to set the threshold so that the national Elections Commission can use for the delimitation of electoral constituency boundaries.
“International development partners strengthen the capacity of domestic election observatory groups to observe, document, and analyze campaign finance abuse.”
The ECC also proposed that the registration of candidates be decentralized to enable those interested to participating in future elections do not have to come Monrovia to register.
“The NEC amends the campaign regulation to make debates mandatory particularly for presidential candidates because this amendment will foster and increase issue-based campaign and reduce culture of personality politics that has characterize Liberia’s political process especially during the elction period.”
The ECC report added that the electoral authority should make progress towards the introduction of a passive over registration system so that voters are automatically registered when they reach voting age or when they are move to another place.
The ECC suggested that the national legislature amends the national electoral law to make vote buying an electoral offence with clearly defined sanction.
According to the recommendation, the committee wants the nomination and registration of aspirants be transparent to enable electoral observation groups to observe every stage of the nomination process and to independently verify whether aspirants comply with the requirements set by the national electoral laws.
The ECC also demanded that NEC conduct a comprehensive assessment of the physical infrastructures of all voting precincts to ensure that the structures allow for the intake and exit of voters in an orderly manner and are easily accessible by voters who physically challenged and visually impaired
The electoral observation body also requesting for an amendment on the campaign finance regulation to include a provision that will require NEC to build strategic partnerships with other government institutions financial intelligence unit and private banks for information sharing and cooperative actions to improve monitoring and enforcement of campaign finance rules and regulations
ECC also wants NEC to commissions] an audit of the finances and financial transaction of all political parties and independent candidates in keeping with Article 81C of the Liberian Constitution.