The International Community in Liberia has commended the Liberian-led and Liberian-owned electoral process saying that the October 10 presidential and legislative elections will be the first to be primarily organized and administered by Liberia, since the drawdown of the United Nations Mission in Liberia in 2018 thus recommitting itself to supporting the electoral process.
According to a release, it is therefore a pivotal moment for Liberia to safeguard its peace and democracy and serve as an inspiration for Africa and the rest of the world.
It further commends the National Elections Commission for the conduct of a generally well-administered and transparent biometric voter registration and candidate nomination process and for its continuing efforts to demonstrate its independence and impartiality, which is crucial for public confidence in the institution and the electoral process.
The release also calls on signatories of the Farmington River Declaration 2023 to abide by their commitment and promote the conditions for peaceful, transparent, and credible elections, before, during, and after elections.
“As Liberia commemorates 20 years of unbroken peace, the International Community in Liberia is concerned by the recent reports of election violence, urges the authorities to investigate and hold those responsible to account, and appeals to all Liberians to safeguard the hard-won peace gains”. They said.
The Economic Community Of West African States and the United Nations urged political leaders to be active peace messengers promote issue-based campaigns and refrain from incitement of followers toward violent action, especially violence against women in elections and politics and, to resolve any grievance through established legal mechanisms
It therefore cautioned against the instrumentalities of the youth noting inflammatory rhetoric which has the potential to instigate violence.
Accordingly, the International Community in Liberia reaffirms its unwavering support to the Government and people of Liberia in their efforts to consolidate peace and inclusive democracy as we go into these elections to elect the next batch of lawmakers.