The West African Elders Forum (WAEF) Election Mission to Liberia has implored political actors and other stakeholders in the country to shun violence and commit to peaceful election ahead of the country’s general elections on Tuesday, October 10, 2023.
This was stated in a statement signed by Head of Mission and former President of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, and Deputy Head of Mission, Mr Kadrie Ouedrago, who is the former Prime Minister of Burkinabo Faso, at the close of campaigns on Sunday in Monrovia.
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The WAEF election mission enjoined all candidates to abide by the peace accord, urging the National Electoral Commission (NEC) and the security agencies to exercise their mandate in accordance with the nation’s laws to build trust and guarantee the integrity of the polls.
“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 the 2023 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 group said.
The Forum, however, said it was deeply concerned by the recent reports of violent clashes in some parts of the country that led to the alleged death of two-party supporters in Lofa County.
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.
“The Forum, in line with its mandate of accompanying West African countries in their various efforts at consolidating their democracies, has engaged with Liberian stakeholders since July, when it first deployed a pre-election mission to Monrovia.”
It commended Liberians for their abiding faith in the nation’s democracy as exemplified in the mass participation in the 2023 electioneering activities, which culminated in the spirited closing campaigns of various parties on Sunday.
The statement added that on election day, members of the WAEF Mission who arrived in the country on Saturday, October 7, 2023, would visit polling stations in Monrovia to observe voting procedures and results collation process and would remain engaged until the results are declared, and the electoral processes successfully concluded.
