Monrovia, Liberia – The Liberia Immigration Service has issued a warning to politicians who have relations living abroad and who wish to participate in the presidential and legislative elections on October 10, 2023. The LIS will not permit trucking of voters during the election times.
Moses Yebleh, the Deputy Commissioner General for Administration at LIS, announced that strict measures would be implemented with the explicit intent of ensuring a high level of fairness, openness, and credible procedure during this year’s elections.
At the beginning of a one-day round table discussion held in Monrovia over the weekend by the Liberia Immigration Service in association with the International Organization, the United Nations Development Program, and the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights, Commissioner Yebleh issued the warning.
Ten of the tribes spoken in Liberia, according to him, also have populations in nearby nations. As a result, some West Africans, including lawmakers, will take advantage of the region’s open borders to truck voters.
Commissioner Yebleh made it clear that the measures are not meant to deny legitimate Liberians the opportunity to vote, but rather to prevent a recurrence of the violence that occurred in Grand Cape Mount County.
“Voter’s trucking,” according to the LIS perspective and experience, “is not primarily only in the Monrovia area because we know that the Liberia National Police will be highly focused on that. We had voters trucking in the past in Grand Cape Mount County and we know what it results.”
He claimed that because of how permeable the borders with adjacent countries are, politicians who have friends and family living on the other side have been successful in swaying voters in the past, and some still believe they will succeed this time.
Voter’s trucking, particularly from the border, is one of the main problems that causes chaos during election time, and the LIS has been dealing with challenges from politicians who accuse them of preventing their supporters from entering the country.
Trucking voters during elections is illegal and should be discouraged, according to comments made by Ernestine Morgan-Awar, commissioner of the National Elections Commission. She claims that those who break electoral laws, including candidates who are captured voter-trailing, will face prosecution if any proof is presented.
According to her, NEC collaborates with other agencies to mitigate voter trucking in the election process, so it does not fight voter trucking alone.
Voter fraud, according to Abraham Mitchell, Assistant Minister for Justice and Codification, undermines the legitimacy of those who will be chosen in such a dishonest way. He claims that the Liberian code of conduct makes it illegal to transport voters from one community to another. Regrettably, the code of conduct is insufficient as a judicial tool to prosecute those who are discovered to be transporting voters.
Varney Sirleaf, the minister of internal affairs, also spoke and urged cooperation in the fight against ballot fraud to ensure credible elections. He claimed that the LIS plays a crucial role in deciding who is eligible to vote in these elections as a Liberian. He reaffirmed President George Weah’s dedication to the National Elections Commission’s ability to hold a free, fair, and transparent election in the nation.
The Country Representative of the International Organization for Migration was represented by the Project Coordinator of the IOM, Serge Desiree.
The discussion, held under the theme: “Preventing Voters Trucking To promote Election Integrity and Democracy of the Peace Building Project Entitled- Promoting Peaceful Electoral Environment and Community Security in Liberia,” brought together representatives from the civil society organizations, women and students’ groups, the Liberia National Police, the Liberia Drug Law Enforcement Agency among many others.
Reported by: Augustine Octavius
Contact: +231777463963
Email: augustineoctavius@gmail.com
