Ahead of the 2023 general election in Liberia, a group of civil society organisations (CSOs) has called on the government to facilitate civic engagement and inclusive political participation.

Development Diaries reports that the call was made by the Naymote Partners for Democratic Development, the National Civil Society Council of Liberia and the Accountability Lab.

The CSOs made the call during a conference themed ‘Building Civil Society Organisations Resilience and Protecting the Civic Space Ahead of the 2023 Elections in Liberia’.

Since the end of the second civil war, Liberia has made considerable progress in rebuilding government capacity, reestablishing the rule of law, and ensuring the political rights and civil liberties of citizens.

However, the country still faces serious issues with corruption, impunity, and violence, especially against women.

In its 2023 Freedom in the World report on political rights and civil liberties, Freedom House ranked Liberia as ‘partly free’, with the West African country earning 60 points out of a possible 100.

According to the CSO group, political parties and candidates must respect the rights of women, people with disabilities, and minorities, and ensure people from marginalised groups are protected during their exercise of the right to engage and participate in political process.

‘We see these as serious threats to the existence of a vibrant and sustainable civic space for the exercise of the rights of free speech, association, and assembly, and of the press; and the advancement of our democracy, generally’, the CSOs said.

‘We desire a more open and viable civic space that protects fundamental rights, facilitates civic engagement and inclusive political participation during and after the 2023 elections’.

General elections in Liberia are scheduled to hold on 10 October to elect the president and members of the House of Representatives and half the Senate.

Photo source: Brittany Danisch