Liberia president's office spikes allegation of interference in election

31 Octobre 2017

Monrovia, Liberia, October 31 (Infosplusgabon) - Three Liberian political parties, including the ruling Unity Party (UP), have accused President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of interfering and influencing the outcome of the 2017 electoral process.

The UP, Liberty Party (LP) and the All Liberian Party (ALP), in a joint statement published on Monday in the local newspapers, said the polls have been fraught with “irregularities and fraud”.

The UP came second in the first round, while the LP came third and ALP sixth in the presidential and legislative elections held 10 October.

The trio cited meetings President Sirleaf held with members of the National Elections Commission (NEC) and low level Magistrates to influence their role and decisions during the election process, among other acts.

In a rather swift reaction, the Office of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf termed as “baseless” the allegations of the three political parties.

“We like to be specifically clear, that at no time has president Sirleaf interfered with the electoral process, or the outcome or the results of the 2017 general and presidential elections,” Presidential Press Secretary, Jerolimek Piah, said at a press conference in Monrovia.

He said the allegations were “works of agents provocateurs which should be condemned and disavowed by all peace-loving Liberians”, noting that this was also “an attempt to undermine Liberia’s democratic process”.

Piah said that all meetings, interactions or exchanges with the NEC were consistent with President Sirleaf’s constitutional role to ensure that the electoral process was supported and they were held in the presence of international representatives.

“We encourage any and all political parties with evidence on any issue relating to the electoral process to present evidence through the appropriate legal channels so that those issues may be adjudicated and where necessary our electoral process can be improved,” Piah insisted.

FIN/INFOSPLUSGABON/OUT/GABON 2017

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