When West African elders returned to Liberia for presidential run-off

Mr Jonathan is accompanied on the mission by former Burkina Faso Prime Minister and one-time President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Kadre Ouedraogo as well as staff of the WAEF secretariat.

The team members will be on the ground during the electoral process to lend their expertise as former sub-regional leaders to support the peaceful conduct of the elections and the strengthening of the country’s democracy.

In an arrival statement issued in Monrovia on Sunday evening, WAEF urged Liberians to conduct themselves peacefully and eschew violence during this second round of voting to avoid a likely breakdown of law and order in the country.

The statement jointly signed by Messrs Jonathan and Ouedraogo also commended Liberians for the peaceful conduct of the 10 October first round of elections and wished the country another successful outing as the citizens get ready to vote in Tuesday’s run-off election.

Advising politicians to be patriotic and law-abiding, WAEF noted that nobody’s personal ambition should be placed above the collective interest of the country.

It further called on the two presidential candidates and their followers in Tuesday’s run-off elections to act in line with the Farmington River Pact to ensure that Liberia remains peaceful during and after the scheduled second round of the Presidential election.

The Mission also charged the National Electoral Commission (NEC) and the security authorities to carry out their mandate in accordance with the electoral laws of the land in a manner that delivers credible elections and renews the hope, trust and confidence of the Liberian people on the nation’s democracy.

The statement said further: “The mission is committed to supporting and encouraging Liberians to conduct themselves peacefully and eschew violence during this second round of voting to ensure that there is no break-down of law and order in the country.

“It is reassuring to note that in the past two decades, Liberians had demonstrated a high level of patriotism and good citizenship in the exercise of their civic responsibilities during elections, especially with the peaceful conduct and large turnout of voters during the October 10, 2015, general elections. It is in light of this that WAEF commended the candidates in the last October 10, 2023 elections for respecting the Farmington River Peace Declaration which resulted in the peaceful outcome of the last exercise.

“We will continue to point out that Liberia occupies a pride of place in the sub-region because of its exemplary democratic credentials, having maintained an enviable track of peaceful elections and seamless transitions in the last two decades. We note that it is a record worth keeping for which we encourage Liberians to strive to maintain peace, law and order during the election.

“The Forum which has been engaging with Liberian stakeholders since July when it first deployed a fact-finding mission to Monrovia wishes Liberians a successful outcome of the 2023 elections and will remain engaged with the country as a dependable ally in the development process, in line with its objective of contributing to the consolidation of democracy and good governance in the West African sub-region.”

The run-off is between incumbent President George Weah and opposition leader Joseph Boakai, a fallout of the October 12 election, which could not produce an outright winner.

In a related development, a former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission and Head of the Economic Community of West African States Observers Mission in Liberia, Prof Attahiru Jega, has urged political actors and stakeholders involved in the Liberian presidential run-off slated for Tuesday, November 14, to be guided by the rule of law and fair play.

He also advised observers not to interfere with the process.

A statement by the ECOWAS mission on Sunday said, “On Friday, November 10, 2023, Prof Jega met successively with the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Liberia, Mr Frank Musa Dean Jr; President of the National Electoral Commission, Mrs Davidetta Browne-Lansanah; some civil society actors and the ECOWAS Technical Team.

“In his meetings with these actors, Jega discussed the preparation towards the polls and challenges for a peaceful, free, transparent and credible electoral process.”

The statement noted that the former INEC chair also met with several top ECOWAS officials.

While addressing ECOWAS observers, Jega was quoted as urging “them to carry out their tasks within the confines of the extant electoral legal frameworks and in accordance with international standards.

“He also urged them to avoid interfering in the electoral process and to use the skills and tools acquired through their training. Finally, he asked them to make possible recommendations to improve the electoral process and the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission.”

The caution by Prof. Jega, comes four days since Mo Ali, National Campaign Spokesperson of the opposition Unity Party,  on his Facebook post of November 10, 2023, linking the ECOWAS mission to the acceptance of 150,000.00 to financially to sanction rigged election results.

Mr. Ali stated that the ECOWAS Observer Mission has been influenced by USD 150,000 to declare a purportedly rigged election as transparent, free, and fair.

But the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) election observation mission in Liberia swiftly denied the claims and stated that it takes exception to the claims by Unity Party (UP) spokesman Mo Ali linking it to an inducement of USD 150, 000.00 to concord with runoff results in favor of incumbent President George Manneh Weah.

A statement from the ECOWAS Observer Mission noted with regret, “a reckless statement made by Mo Ali, National Campaign Spokesperson of the Unity Party, on his Facebook post of November 10, 2023, linking the mission to the acceptance of 150,000.00 to financially to sanction rigged election results.

The regional bloc noted that it has been accused by Mr. Ali that the ECOWAS Observer Mission has been influenced by USD 150,000 to declare a purportedly rigged election as transparent, free, and fair.

“The ECOWAS Observer Mission takes strong exception to this scurrilous statement, which puts at risk the safety and physical integrity of the ECOWAS Observers from across West Africa who have come to accompany the good people of Liberia in this pivotal election,” the statement said.

The ECOWAS Observer Mission calls on the leadership of the Unity Party to denounce the statement made by its National campaign Spokesperson that seeks to denigrate the image of ECOWAS.

“The ECOWAS Observer Mission challenges Mo Ali to prove this scurrilous accusation or publicly withdraw it immediately and tender an unqualified apology,” ECOWAS has demanded.

It warned that failing this, the ECOWAS Observer Mission and the ECOWAS Commission reserve the right to employ all necessary measures to hold him personally accountable for his utterance.

The ECOWAS Observer Mission urges all citizens of Liberia to deepen the positive outcome of the 10 October 2023 elections by remaining focused on living up to their civic responsibilities towards the 14 November 2023 Presidential run-off.

In this regard, the ECOWAS Observer Mission said it counts on the people of Liberia to disregard such falsehoods allegedly perpetrated by individuals who may seek to derail the positive democratic gains made by Liberians.

“The ECOWAS Observer Mission wishes to assure the good people of Liberia of its complete neutrality towards the contestants in the November 14 Presidential run-off poll,” the statement noted.

The Mission further reaffirms its total commitment to a credible, inclusive, and peaceful electoral process in Liberia, by its mandate under Articles 12 and 13 of the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.

The statement also noted that the ECOWAS Resident Representative in Liberia, Josephine Nkrumah, briefed the observers on the conditions under which “the polls will be held”.

The Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security of ECOWAS, Abdel-Fatau Musah, expressed satisfaction with the profile of the observers while charging them to remain objective in their observation of the exercise.

The Independent Probe