ECOWAS urges fairness, openness, transparency in final stage of Liberia’s runoff poll

28 Décembre 2017

Monrovia, Liberia, December 28 (Infosplusgabon) - The ECOWAS Election Observation Mission (EOM) on Wednesday urged Liberia’s National Elections Commission (NEC) to approach the concluding phases of Tuesday’s runoff between two leading candidates with fairness, openness and transparency until the proclamation of results.

The Mission also urged NEC to work diligently and expedite action on the proclamation of the provisional results in order to avoid creating anxiety within the polity.

In its preliminary conclusions on Liberia’s 26 December run-off election, issued by Head of Mission John Dramani Mahama, former Ghanaian president, the Mission “noted with satisfaction the peaceful conduct” of the poll.

In addition, the Mission has commended the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) candidate, George Manneh Weah, and the Unity Party (UP) candidate, Joseph Nyuma Boakai, “for their demonstration of statesmanship and exemplary conduct.”

It urged them to stay the course of restraint, legality and peace until the end of the process.

“The Mission also congratulates the other eighteen candidates and political parties for their role in ensuring healthy political competition and a peaceful electoral process. It urges both CDC and UP candidates, in particular, and their political parties and followers to accept the verdict of the ballot box as will be declared by the competent authority, the NEC, and refrain from prematurely declaring results of the election,” the EOM underlined.

In the same statement, the Mission has appealed to the candidates to gracefully accept the will of the people and in the event of genuine grievances, to resort exclusively to legal means to seek redress.

The ECOWAS Observation Mission stated that it “warmly congratulates Liberians for their patience, determination and peaceful conduct demonstrated so far and appeals to them to maintain the same spirit till the end of the process.”

The Mission expressed gratitude to the Government and people of Liberia, the NEC, and security agencies for creating the enabling environment for the smooth conduct of the electoral process.

Stressing the need for Liberia to maintain its progress towards political and socio-economic development, the ECOWAS EOM has urged all development partners to continue to provide more support to the country.

FIN/INFOSPLUSGABON/AES/GABON 2017

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