Ahead of Liberia’s elections today, the West African Elders Forum (WAEF) has issued a strong call for political actors and stakeholders to prioritize peace and non-violence during the electoral process.
Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, the Head of the WAEF Election Mission, along with Mr. Kadrie Ouedrago, a former Prime Minister of Burkina Faso and the Deputy Head of Mission, issued a joint statement emphasizing the need for a peaceful electoral environment.
They urged all candidates to fully adhere to the peace accord, emphasizing the importance of maintaining the rule of law.
The WAEF Mission also called upon the National Electoral Commission (NEC) and security agencies to execute their responsibilities in strict accordance with Liberia’s laws. Their goal is to build trust and ensure the integrity of the electoral process.
Notably, President George Weah, who seeks re-election, faces formidable challenges from opposition coalitions.
A staggering 2.3 million registered voters are poised to participate in today’s crucial election, underscoring the significance of the WAEF’s appeal for a peaceful and transparent democratic process.
The WAEF statement added:
“We note that Liberia has, in the last two decades, established a striking culture of peaceful elections and seamless transitions, for which we urge all stakeholders to strive to maintain this tradition by working to make today’s elections transparent, free, and fair.
“We urge the candidates and voters to be law-abiding and avoid actions that could have a negative impact on the elections and threaten the peace and stability the country has witnessed since the end of the civil war.
“We note the commitment to a non-violent, free, fair, and transparent electoral process, as demonstrated by the signing of the Farmington River Declaration, and urge all candidates to abide by the dictates of the peace accord.”
The organization expressed profound worry over recent accounts of violent confrontations in certain regions of the nation, reportedly resulting in the unfortunate loss of two supporters affiliated with different political parties in Lofa County.
Hamas-Israel Conflict Raises Global Fears of Prolonged High Crude Prices
The statement said,
“WAEF condemns the unfortunate incident and urges the concerned authorities to conduct diligent investigations with a view to preventing such acts of violence from happening during and after the elections.
”In this regard, we encourage them, as they close their campaigns, to appeal to their supporters to conduct themselves peacefully and maintain law and order during and after the elections to promote progressive politics devoid of hate speech, personal attacks, incendiary rhetoric, and violence.
“It is imperative that the candidates and their supporters commit to repeating the exemplary milestone achieved in 2017 when similar peace pledges were made and strictly adhered to in the interest of peace, progress, and sustainable democracy.”
It commended the unwavering faith of Liberians in their nation’s democracy, as demonstrated through the massive participation in the 2023 election activities. These activities reached their culmination with the spirited closing campaigns of various political parties on Sunday.
Remarkably, this marks the first instance since the end of the civil war in 2003 that Liberia is conducting a national election without the support of international partners, including the United Nations and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) security forces. This change has raised security concerns, especially in light of the tragic deaths of at least two individuals in pre-election violence.
Observers of the political landscape have pointed out that campaign messaging has exacerbated political divisions, prompting calls for heightened vigilance from the national police during the upcoming presidential and legislative elections scheduled for Tuesday.
In the streets of Monrovia, university students passionately chanted slogans like “We want peace, Liberia is our only country; we want peace.” They distributed peace-themed pamphlets to commuters, urging voters to reject violence.
Grace Yeah Yeaney, a prominent student leader at the University of Liberia, expressed deep concern about the alarming deaths resulting from electoral violence in Lofa County on September 29.
The Liberia Peace Building Office, responsible for formulating conflict resolution policies, has reported data indicating that campaign messaging has contributed to the deepening of political divides.
Teacher Sacked From Church of England School Over LGBT Teaching Refusal
Edward Mulbah, the executive director of the organization, has identified six of Liberia’s 15 counties as potential hot spots for violence, heightening the need for proactive measures to ensure a peaceful election process.
“This election is going to be very much challenging. There are going to be sporadic tensions, some sporadic violence, but we think that the violence will be intensive, but may not be widespread,” Mulbah said.
