-Diplomats hail Liberia’s democracy, as NEC certificates Weah, others
By our Reporter
As President-elect George Manneh Weah, Veep-elect Jewel Howard Taylor and 66 newly elected Representatives were certificated on Thursday, there was an outpouring of praises from foreign diplomats for the level at which Liberian democracy has matured.
Liberia, once considered West Africa’s problem child, is witnessing its first peaceful transition from one elected president to another in 73 years, as outgoing President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is due to hand over power to Weah of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) on January 22, 2018.
Speaking at the impressive certification ceremony at the headquarters of the National Elections Commission (NEC), the envoys from the United States, Europe, ECOWAS and the United Nations all restated that the just-ended Liberian election has set a positive example for the development of democracy in Africa with its peaceful, free, fair, transparent and orderly nature.
“Today, the Lone star is the shining star of Africa,” said US Ambassador Christine Elder as she assured the newly elected President and his incoming government of America’s continued support and cooperation in moving the country forward.
The US envoy also spoke of the need to have a government of inclusion.
For the European Union Ambassador to Liberia Tina Intelmann, she said the EU is a very important partner to Liberia and this country can count on them.
Farid Zarif, the head of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) said Liberia has come a long way—emerging from the ashes of many years of brutal civil war to a maturing democracy.
UNMIL helped consolidate Liberia’s post-conflict peace since it was deployed in the country back in 2003, but the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative said the greatest credit for more than 12 years of sustained peace should go to the Liberian people.
“You’ve proved you learned from lessons of the past and not prepared to repeat the mistakes of the past,” the UN envoy said.
He congratulated President-elect Weah and other certificated incoming officials for the trust reposed in them by Liberian saying, “you have done the miracle” and all the doomsday scenarios were proven wrong.
Zafif said one can see hope in the eyes of Liberians and in the determination of the elected leaders.
He hailed outgoing President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf for all she has done to ensure the consolidation of peace and democracy in Liberia for the past 12 years.
But he charged Weah and the corps of incoming officials to deliver on their promises and help transform the lives of Liberian amidst the country’s wealth.
“It doesn’t make sense that the people are so poor, yet the country is so rich,” the UNMIL boss noted.
He then assured Liberians that the UN will stand by them, despite the scheduled withdrawal of UNMIL from the country in March this year. And he urged the Liberian people to unite behind their newly elected and certificated leaders.
Also speaking was the ECOWAS Ambassador to Liberia, Tunde Ajisomo who congratulated President-elect Weah and Liberia’s first elected female Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor.
The ECOWAS envoy spoke of the important contribution the sub-regional grouping made in the holding of a transparent and credible elections in Liberia.
ECOWAS deployed a Technical Team that was in Liberia for a number of weeks and assisted the NEC in the clean-up of the Final Registration Roll. There was also a high level ECOWAS election Observation Mission in the country headed by former Ghanaian President John Mahama.
Speaking earlier, NEC Chairman Cllr. Jerome Korkoya said the certification of the elected officials formally empowers them to exercise the power entrusted to them by the people at the ballot box.
“The certificate we are presenting to you does not only represent conferral of legitimacy to pronounce you to the world as the duly elected officials, but also an embodiment of the power, trust and aspiration reposed in you by your various constituents and the people of Liberia a whole,” the NEC Chairman said.
Korkoya reminded them of the responsibilities they have to improve the lives of the Liberian people.
“Expectation to change their living conditions by the laws the incoming government will make and the programs that they will undertake,” the NEC Chairman added.
Speaking on behalf the certificated elected officials, President-elect George Weah promised to deliver the promises made during the election campaign to improve the lives of the Liberian people.