Africa-Press – Liberia. The West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) has released its second statement from the Election Situation Room (ESR) regarding the ongoing Presidential Run-off Elections in Liberia.
The ESR, a vital component of the WANEP Electoral Violence Monitoring, Analysis, and Mitigation (E-MAM) project, is working in collaboration with the European Union, Swedish and Austrian Development Agencies, the Office of the Special Representative of the President of the ECOWAS Commission in Liberia, the Peace Building Office (PBO), and the National Election Response Group (NERG).
Opening of Polling Stations
After careful review and analysis of reports from 133 local observers deployed across 38 districts in nine Counties, the ESR reported that the overall atmosphere has been peaceful, with some isolated skirmishes.
Key observations during the opening of polls include:
Improved measures addressing incidents that led to delays in the general election, such as the disaggregation of the voters’ list in alphabetical order.
91.75% of polling centers opened at 8:00 am, while the remaining 8.25% opened between 8:14 – 8:45 am. Adherence to electoral laws and procedures by NEC polling staff.
99.11% of polling centers reported the availability of all sensitive election materials as required by law.
Presence of political party poll watchers (CDC and UP) and a commendable representation of women at the opening of polls.
Good voter turnout, averaging 123 voters in a queue at the time of reporting.
Presence of NEC staff, although some polling officers were absent in specific electoral districts.
Other Incidents
In the initial hours of polling, observers reported a few incidents:
In Montserrado County, District #5 Center #30289, a CDC observer distributed food to party poll watchers, causing displeasure among voters. Police intervention swiftly restored normalcy.
In Montserrado County District #15, International School, voting was briefly disrupted due to a disagreement over voter verification. The issue was resolved amicably with the intervention of NEC polling officers.
Recommendations
In light of the observed incidents, the ESR issued the following recommendations:
Relevant stakeholders, including the NEC, Joint Security, and political parties, should be prepared to address any further issues to ensure continued decorum in the electoral process.
NEC should maintain public engagement through media platforms to assure voters in places where polls did not begin as scheduled that they will have the opportunity to cast their votes in accordance with electoral laws.
Political parties and citizens are urged to exercise patience, maintain peace, and wait for the electoral process to progress and conclude in compliance with electoral laws. Liberians are advised to resist the dissemination of unverified or potentially inflammatory information on mainstream and social media.
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