- Urge politicians to commit to the peace accord
From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The West African Elders Forum (WAEF) Election Mission to Liberia has urged politicians and other stakeholders in the country to eschew violence and commit to peaceful elections ahead of the country’s general election on Tuesday, October 10, 2023.
In a statement signed by former President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan head of the mission and Mr. Kadrie Desire Ouedrago former Prime Minister of Burkina Faso and deputy head of the mission at the close of campaign on Sunday in Monrovia, the mission urged all candidates to abide by the peace accord.
The Forum urged 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 elections.
The forum while commending 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 expressed concern over reports of violence.
It called on all stakeholders to maintain the tradition of peaceful election which has been consistent in Liberia and eschew actions that can threaten the peace and stability the country has witnessed since the end of the civil war.
WAEF reminded the stakeholders of the Farmington River Declaration, and urged all candidates to abide by the dictates of the peace accord.
The statement read in part: “However, we are 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.
“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 also urges the National Electoral Commission (NEC) and the security agencies that manage the elections to exercise their mandate and independence in accordance with the nation’s laws to further build trust and guarantee the integrity of the elections.
’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.
‘’On election day, members of the WAEF Mission who arrived in the country on Saturday, October 7, 2023, will visit polling stations in Monrovia to observe voting procedures and results collation process and will remain engaged until the results are declared, and the electoral processes successfully concluded.’’