Monrovia, Liberia – To ease public concern and expedite the results of the National Elections Commission’s November 14th presidential run-off election, the Elections Coordinating Committee has advanced a ten-count recommendation. To allay scepticism and stop the dissemination of misleading information, Counsellor Ocar Bloh, the Chairman of the ECC, suggested, among other things, that NEC announce results more frequently twice a day.
Counsellor Bloh warned the NEC to handle all electoral complaints equitably and to decide them quickly and openly during a press conference in Monrovia. Counsellor Bloh made the point that the NEC should release the election results by polling site in a timely way in analyzable format so that interested parties may perform in-depth study of the vote results. This will promote transparency and improve trust.
The chairman of the ECC urged political parties to desist from asserting an early lead or meddling in the tallying process and to accept the NEC’s authority to declare official election results. “Any political party with grievances regarding the election results should adhere to the laws and procedures specified in the Constitution as well as the NEC’s provisions regarding the hearing of electoral petitions.” In an effort to ease tensions between supporters of various political parties, the ECC also advised the Supreme Court of Liberia to rule on all electoral petitions promptly.
Meanwhile, the ECC Chairman has admonished the joint security to demonstrate neutrality and professionalism in dealing with any post-election rally or demonstration that has the potential to lead to violence. He encouraged the security institutions to provide an update to the public on the status of all electoral violence under police investigation.
As a result, the chairman of the ECC is advising the media to abstain from spreading false information and misinformation about the results of the election. Counsellor Bloh then issued a call to action for the general public to maintain their composure and avoid being persuaded to use violence or intimidation by any political figure.
The ECC called on all politicians and Liberians to remain calm and await the official results to be announced by the National Elections Commission. In the management of citizens’ expectation, the committee also urged NEC to precede with the timely pronouncement of the election results.
According to him, these elections were nationally owned with resources largely provided by the Liberian government, electoral security provided by the Joint Security Taskforce and the entire electoral process managed by the National Elections Commission with minimum technical and logistical support from international development partners.
The preliminary statement, according to the ECC, covers the ECC’s observation of the electoral cycle, including the runoff that was held on November 14, 2023. It is based on information received from 1,185 of the 1200 stationary observers who were proportionately distributed to voting stations across the country to observe.
Reported by: Augustine Octavius
Contact: +231777463963
Email: augustineoctavius@gmail.com
