ECC Releases Preliminary Observation after Runoff -Calls for Calm As Ballot Counts Progress

MONROVIA: The Elections Coordinating Committee (ECC) has issued its preliminary observatory statement on the 2023 presidential runoff election involving incumbent President George Manneh Weah of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) and former Vice President Joseph Nyumah Boakai of the opposition Unity Party (UP) Alliance, calls on both candidates and their supporters to remain calm and await the official pronouncement of the results by the National Elections Commission (NEC)

The ECC which noted that “the Liberian people have spoken in a well-organized and orderly process…” issued a five-point observation to various stakeholders in the electioneering process  including the National Election Commission,  political parties, independent candidates, and their supporters; as well as the Supreme Court, the media and voters.

Considering that there are only two candidates, the ECC urged the National Election Commission to increase the frequency (at least twice a day) of reporting of election results to dispel doubts and the spread of misinformation and to treat all electoral disputes equally and adjudicate them in a timely and transparent manner, saying that to foster transparency and increase trust, the NEC should publish the election results by polling place in an analyzable format and in a timely manner to allow election stakeholders to conduct in-depth analysis of the voting results.

The ECC also recommended that political parties, independent candidates, and their supporters should respect the authority of the NEC to announce official election results and refrain from claiming early victory or interfering with the tally process and pointed out that any political party which has grievances on the outcome of the electoral results should follow the laws and procedures outlined in the Constitution and provisions of the New Election Law related to the adjudication of electoral petitions.

By the same vein, the ECC advised the Supreme Court of Liberia to adjudicate all electoral petitions in an expeditious manner, appealing to the Liberian National Police and other security agencies to demonstrate neutrality and professionalism in dealing with any post-election rally or demonstration that has the potential to lead to violence.

Additionally the ECC urged the security agencies including the LNP to provide updates to the public on the status of all electoral violence under police investigation, and called on the media to refrain from disseminating misinformation and disinformation related to the outcomes of the election results, while appealing to voters to remain calm and peaceful and resist being mobilized by any political actor to get involved in any form of violence or intimidation.

Released on November 14, 2023, the Committee noted how Liberians have exercised their Constitutional right to elect their next president, and pointed out that their will must be respected.

In the spirit of democratic consolidation, the ECC further called on all candidates and Liberians to urged the NEC to proceed with the timely pronouncement of the election results the management of citizens’ expectation, the ECC

“These elections were nationally owned with resources largely provided by the 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 ECC said in their preliminary observatory statement.

Nonetheless, the elections monitoring group noted that the Presidential Runoff Elections were conducted without any significant electoral law reform particularly, with the New Elections Law of Liberia.

“This preliminary statement covers the ECC’s observation of the electoral cycle including the runoff which took place on November 14, 2023, and is based on reports received from 1,185 out of 1200 stationary observers deployed to polling places proportionally nationwide to observe,” the group averred, stating that it is cognizant that there remain crucial steps to complete, such as the tallying of votes and adjudication of electoral petitions.

“Therefore, the content of this statement is based on observations made thus far. The ECC will continue to update the public on the remaining components of the process when it considers it appropriate and will later publish a final comprehensive report, including full analysis of the electoral cycle that will include recommendations for electoral reform,” it intoned.

On its observation on Voter Registration (VR), the ECC indicated that the transition from the manual to the Biometric Voter Registration by the NEC was a strategic decision that improved the quality of the Final Registration Roll (FRR) which contributed to an improved election administration on October 10, 2023 as well as on November 14, 2023.

The group also commented on what it considered “the organized and systematic trucking of voters by politicians” and explained that such undermines the principle of representative democracy. “While the election law makes the practice an electoral offense, the NEC and the joint security did not do enough to stop the trucking of voters which is now seen as a normal practice within the country’s emerging democracy,” the ECC said. .

The statement also touched on its observation on women’s political representation, saying, “The primaries of political parties were peacefully conducted across the country. Out of 1,026 candidates certificated by the NEC, only 159 were women, constituting 15%, who participated in the October 10 general elections.”

The ECC furthered, “This runs contrary to the commitment made by political parties to ensure that at least their candidates list contained 30% women. Additionally, only nine women won legislative seats (8 representatives and 1 senator). In the absence of a law that would mandate political parties to increase the number of women candidates on their listing, women’s political representation will continue to decrease.”

The group frowns on the regulation on nomination and registration of candidates which they said is weak, noting that Liberia has a representative democracy but the regulation puts a limit on who can challenge the candidacy of a person seeking to represent a county or district. According to the regulation only a candidate, political party, alliance or coalition can challenge the eligibility of a candidate on the provisional list. It is the view of the ECC that citizens should have equal right to challenge the eligibility of any candidate who seeks to be elected.

Commenting on its Political Campaign and Media Observation, the group noted how now of the two presidential candidates in the race attended debates organized by the media indicated that debates are a core element of the democratic process as it pushes the candidates to conduct issues-based campaigning while at the same time they create the opportunity for voters to make informed choices.    “Debates were organized and none of the two candidates who participated in the runoff attended the debates, thereby making it difficult for post-election accountability,” the ECC statement maintained.

Amongst other things, the ECC further notes the endorsement of political actors by traditional leaders and religious groups, thereby compromising their role as peace brokers in mediating any potential conflict arising from the electoral process. Furthermore, the nomination of government officials on the campaign teams of the CDC was in gross violation of the Code of Conduct for public officials.

Commenting on the closing and counting process, it registered that in 75% of observed polling places, there were still voters in the queue at 6:00pm, which on one hand demonstrates the persistent high interest of Liberians in exercising their right to vote in the 2023 electoral process, pointing out, that its  observers reported that voters in the queues at these polling places were systematically permitted to vote and that 53% of observed polling places closed after 6:00pm, primarily due to the slow intake of voters during the day.

“NEC officials generally followed the procedures for closing and counting. ECC observers reported that there were party agents, domestic and international observer groups and media representatives present during the counting. At observed polling places, 97% were covered by party agents during the counting ballots. At 99% of observed polling places, both parties’ agents approved and signed the result form. In 88% of the observed polling places, neither CDC nor UP agents filed a complaint,” the statement said, and added, “ECC observers also reported sufficient lighting during the counting of ballots at 97% of the polling places observed and the presiding officer posted a copy of the result on the wall in all of them.”

The group’s observatory statement also covered some critical incidents, said despite the peaceful turnout of Liberians during the Presidential run-off election, the process occurred in a relatively tense environment, primarily in Montserrado.

“During the voting, closing and counting processes, ECC observers reported minor disruptions of polling places by supporters of both parties contesting the run-off process. Incidents of observed tension at polling places, for the most part occurred during the counting,” the group disclosed citing an instance at the Esther Yalartai Academy with code 30442, where  it was alleged by one of the observers that the ballot box was thrown over the fence.

“This prompted an angry crowd to storm the compound threatening to burn it down with all the other observers including the NEC staff in the building. The tension further extended, which attracted Zogos, disrupting the entire counting process and causing people to run for their life. Nevertheless, the police intervened and the results were posted on the board,” the statement furthered.

The statement explained that at the St. Paul Lutheran School in Margibi with precinct code 24113, an ECC mobile observer reported that the NEC staff did not have a copy of the FRR. “The NEC staff then decided to write voter names in a book prior to voting in the absence of the FRR. This resulted in tension and later a riot that lasted more than an hour. The local radio station reported that the situation continued even after the ECC mobile observer had left hours later.

“Some political party agents and supporters at the Diana E. Davis School precinct in Montserrado district 17 (code 30446) alerted the poll workers of the NEC’s press release denouncing the act of party agents possessing the FRR and validating voters. The voting process was halted for approximately forty minutes due to this information. Subsequently, the police and foreign observers stepped in to defuse the tension,” the ECC observed in its statement.

The Elections Coordinating Committee (ECC) is Liberia’s largest domestic election observation network with diverse competencies, experiences, and expertise in democracy, elections, and governance established since 2010. It is a consortium of local CSOs with its membership including the Center for Democratic Governance (CDG); Center for Media Studies and Peace Building (CEMESP); Center for Conflict Prevention and Peace-building (CECPAP); Institute for Research and Democratic Development (IREDD); Naymote Partners for Democratic Development (NAYMOTE-PADD); West Africa Network for Peace Building (WANEP), and the Women NGO Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSOL).

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