WILLIAM Q. HARMON
Africa-Press – Liberia. The Liberia Council of Churches (LCC) has called on the National Elections Commission (NEC) to do all in its power to conduct the October 10 polls in a manner that would build on the country’s recent democratic credentials.
Liberians are poised to go to the polls on October 10 to elect 90 individuals—73 representatives, 15 senators, a president, and a vice president—who will steer the ship of state for six and nine years, respectively.
“Our call to the National Elections Commission is an ardent demand to this body to do all in its power in conformity with the election’s laws and the Constitution of Liberia to conduct free, transparent, credible, and fair elections,” LCC President, Rev. Dr. Samuel B. Reeves, said at a press conference on September 26.
“As we speak, all eyes are on the NEC, and it is incumbent that it demonstrate a high level of independence and neutrality as it goes about conducting the October 10, 2023 elections.”
Reeves, who is also the Acting President of the Inter-religious Council of Liberia (IRCL), noted that the commission should, in all its utterances, activities, and operations, show a semblance of credibility and fairness to the process in order to garner trust, confidence, and credibility from the citizens and all participating political actors.
He called on NEC Chairperson Davidetta Brown Lassanah and her team to make public the Final Voter Roll (FVR) in order to allay fears of cheating in the process.
The council also reminded the government that it has the greatest responsibility to maintain the peace of the country, and to ensure this paramount responsibility is fully achieved, it must be in readiness to provide the needed support to the National Elections Commission.
Reeves noted, “The government on whose shoulders everything about this election rests and falls must at all times demonstrate its neutrality, respect for the process, and provide security and protection to all political actors during these electoral processes. We want to call on President George Weah to create an enabling environment that provides equal opportunities and space for all registered and qualified political actors to carry out their campaign free of interference and intimidation throughout the length and breadth of Liberia.”
The LCC has been holding a series of consultative meetings with key stakeholders, including key opposition leaders, officials from the Joint Security, the Judiciary, the NEC Board of Commissioners, and the Ministry of Justice, among others. These meetings were centered on consolidating the peace, with a key emphasis on the upcoming elections, security, and justice.
The council said at the press conference that it has documented countless uncontrolled, negligent, and reckless statements emanating from political actors, making specific references to former Vice President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Nimba County Senator Prince Johnson, and Montserrado County District #10 Representative, Yekeh Kolubah.
Johnson at a news conference held on September 18, 2023, according to Reeves, threatened the peace of Liberia by recounting the ugly past of our Country.
“The Council believes that the past record of Senator Johnson cannot be taken for granted and hereby warned that such a statement undermines and threatens the peace of our Country,” he said. “Let Senator Johnson and others be reminded that gone are the days when Liberians were manhandled and ill-treated in the name of ‘revolution’ that has today damaged this Country.”
The LCC said it was surprised by Boakai, a respected and eminent statesman, to also thread such a path as the notorious Johnson. Boakai said a few months ago that “If the CDC government rigs the elections, that will be an end to this country”.
“This statement from the former Vice President is counterproductive and must be condemned by both his supporters and all Liberians. These unwanted pronouncements undermine the stability of our peace and should not be coming from people of such esteem status,” he said. “The Liberia Council of Churches views these utterances as destructive to the peace of the country and calls on those sounding war drums to desist and address their grievances through the Courts if they feel offended.”
The council condemned what it termed as Uncontrollable statements and incitement from political actors. One of such acts of incitement, according to the council, are the assertions by both the ruling CDC and the Opposition Unity Party that either of them would win the presidential election in the first round.
“These constant and repeated assurances to partisans and supporters by these two parties have the potential to put their respective supporters in a mood of high expectation that they would win the elections on the first ballot. These calls are not necessary because it has the inclination to cause chaos and confusion in the nation if the elections don’t go their way,” Reeves said.
The NEC has qualified twenty Presidential Candidates to contest these elections and the possibility of a first-round victory by any political party must be taken with care and caution, he noted.
“We call on these two Parties, the CDC and the UP to leave the results and pronouncements with the NEC which has the constitutional power to announce and declare elections based on proven, evidenced, and statistical-based reports from the elections to declare an Up-right winner or a run-off election,” he said. “Our calls to the CDC and the UP are primarily intended to stop giving assurances to their supporters that they can win the elections on the first ballot.”
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