The regional body for West Africa, ECOWAS, has issued a strong warning that it has zero tolerance for violence and that those who use violence will be recognized and punished in accordance with the law, including regional laws.
Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, the president of the ECOWAS Commission, stated that the organization will oversee the entire procedure leading up to the holding of the presidential and legislative elections and that it will not hold back in dealing with anyone who incites violence in the nation.
In a special speech at the Farmington Declaration signing by recognized political groups in Harbel, Margibi County, Dr. Touray issued the warning. He claimed that Liberia has reached a fork in its democratic journey, where it can either continue on its current path of peace consolidation or regress into chaos and unrest.
“This will be the first election using biometric voter registration, there are two key aspects that should be noted. The BVR’s main purpose is to ensure that Liberia overcomes the difficult election challenges by reducing voter fraud, multiple voting, and identity theft. Second, it lessens the chance that the public’s choice will be distorted because, in the absence of a legitimate roll, the system will be removing the people’s right to choose their representatives.”
He claims that the absence of an external peacekeeping force during the presidential and legislative elections gives Liberia a great chance to fully control and own the procedure. Dr. Touray was explicit in saying that the National Elections Commission’s ability to oversee elections will be put to the test during the 2023 presidential and legislative elections.
“Elections continue to spark violence in the sub-region, so ECOWAS will continue to closely watch over its member states that will be holding elections. The regional body for West Africa will continue to support these procedures to protect the integrity of these polls, and ECOWAS won’t think twice about raising the alarm and allocating resources to involve stakeholders. In light of this, we kindly request that the government, political parties, National Elections Commission, and all other significant parties rigorously abide by the ECOWAS protocol on democracy and good governance.”
Dr. Touray noted that political parties must make sure that peace and security underpin everyone’s actions and speech because ECOWAS remains consistent in their position on zero tolerance for unconstitutional change of government at a time when some countries in the region are undergoing transition. For ECOWAS, unconstitutional governments do not only involve a military takeover of government but also a government that meddles with the electoral process and influences the choice of the people, he emphasized.
In addition to providing assistance, he said, ECOWAS will send short-, medium-, and long-term observers to Liberia. They will also continue to send feedback from their observations in order to promote free, fair, and transparent elections.
“ECOWAS has zero tolerance for violence, and all offenders will be found and dealt with in accordance with the law, including regional laws, the organization states. As we monitor the biometric voter registration process, reports of voter fraud and a few violent incidents in some areas have come to our notice. The Farmington Declaration, which outlined the sanctions for flagrant violations of the electoral laws, must be returned by political parties. Bad language, false information, inciting words and deeds, and other election law violations must stop immediately, and the code of conduct governing political parties and their supporters must be strictly followed. Political actors’ actions and utterances must be guarded by moral behavior, which extends beyond words alone.”
In order to maintain its status as a neutral electoral authority, Dr. Touray advised the NEC to be strict in implementing the rules and regulations, strict in enforcing sanctions, and protected by the law.
“Remember that your contribution to maintaining peace in the nation and its neighbors is crucial, and that the security agencies must continue to act impartially and professionally by providing protection for all Liberians.”
The security of the electoral process is a matter of national interest, so he urged the security forces to cooperate with all stakeholders and safeguard the electoral materials.
Reported by: Augustine Octavius
Contact: +231777463963
Email: augustineoctavius@gmail.com
