As Liberia prepares for Tuesday’s run-off election, the country’s National Electoral Commission (NEC) has another opportunity to deliver a credible poll.
Development Diaries reports that more than 1,903,229 registered voters will again head to the polls on 14 November to elect the country’s next president.
Both President George Weah of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) and Joseph Boakai of the Unity Party (UP) failed to secure more than the required 50 percent vote to be declared winner in the 10 October election.
After a fiercely fought first round, Weah and former vice president, Boakai, gained 43.83 percent and 43.44 percent of the vote, respectively.
While the election was largely peaceful, some challenges were reported by the NEC as late arrival of election materials was registered in some parts of the country.
As the incumbent president and his challenger head to the polls, the NEC must ensure the election remains transparent to establish a credible outcome for the country.
Speaking ahead of the election, the Executive Director of The Women NGOs Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSOL), Esther Yango, highlighted the need for the NEC to remain impartial and independent in performing its duties during the run-off.
‘To the National Elections Commission, our country Liberia heavily relies on your transparency and call on you to employ all credible, independent and accountable processes to avoid any form of violence or instability’, Front Page Africa quoted her as saying.
While the NEC has a huge task ahead, political parties and their candidates must remember their commitment to the Farmington Declaration which ensures a nonviolent electoral process.
Development Diaries, therefore, calls on the NEC to put in place measures to avoid the reoccurrence of the irregularities observed and reported during the October election.
Photo source: UNDP
