MONROVIA: In the wake of claims and counter claims by the opposition Unity Party (UP) and the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), the Election Coordination Committee (ECC) has called on the Opposition Unity Party and the ruling Coalition for Democratic (CDC) to refrain from announcing unofficial results either on social media or through press conferences or on the Social Media.
In a statement titled, “”ECC calls on all political parties and independent candidates to refrain from claiming presidential victory at such an early stage when results are still being tabulated” the ECC reminded the both political institutions that the National Elections Commission has begun the pronouncement of official elections results, saying that the announcement of unofficial results by either or both of the parties can be provocative and has the tendency to trigger post-election conflict among their supporters that could turn violent.
In the same manner, ECC urges the NEC to effectively manage the tally of results at the magisterial levels and ensure that political parties do not interfere with the process.
ECC during the early hours of Thursday, October 12, received reports of tension building at the central tally center located at the SKD Sports Complex due to the agents of political parties quarrelling over the number of agents allowed to observe the process.
The NEC needs to properly coordinate the presence of observers and agents at the tally centers in order to prevent tension and reduce the risk of undue influence by agents of political parties. At the same time, the ECC urges the NEC to announce election results by providing more details including the names and numbers of the precincts and polling places.
The ECC said it has received reports of a fire incident at the tallying center in Gbarnga which disrupted the process and called on the Joint Security Taskforce to conduct a swift investigation of the incident.
The ECC further calls on the Joint Security Taskforce to step up its presence at the tallying centers across the country during this critical period of the electoral cycle.
Established since 2010, the Elections Coordinating Committee is Liberia’s largest domestic election observation network with diverse competencies, experiences, and expertise in democracy, elections, and governance.
ECC’s membership include the Center for Democratic Governance (CDG); Center for Media Studies and Peace Building (CEMESP); and the Center for Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding (CECPAP);
Other members of the institution are the 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.
Comments are closed.