The United Nations Office of the High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR) Deputy Country Representative has rained praises on the National Elections Commission for peacefully conducting all activities that characterized the 2023 elections, but said more needs to be done to address the challenges that entity experienced.
Madam Passipau Chirwa made the statement when she gave an overview of the two days post elections dialogue with election magistrates from across the country, the political affairs office, the field coordination office on lessons learned from the 2023 elections in Liberia.
She noted that despite many logistical and financial constraints faced by the NEC, with support from its partners, for the first time since the departure of the United Nations Mission in Liberia, conducted the 2023 elections without the involvement of extended partners.
“This is a landmark achievement by the NEC because this is the first major elections the country held without international support. I thank all of you, especially the magistrates who are the technicians and foot soldiers who actually ensure that the elections were peaceful. Hats off to you for the hard work. “That Liberia was able to execute the elections successfully, it has become a case study” the OHCHR Dep. Country Rep. said.
She informed the magistrates that the dialogue was intended to look at lessons learned from the elections and how the NEC can remedy some of those challenges such as accessibility of registration and polling centers by persons with disabilities (PWDs) and people with special needs such as the elderly and other marginalized groups.
She said, “Part of what we did was to monitor the human rights situation before, during and after the elections and called on the NEC to continue to hold high the standards of accountability, transparency, respect for the rule of law, equality, and the protection of the will of the people through the expression of their voices and votes, observing that when the votes of the people are not accurately accounted for, it may lead to conflict.”
As key elections technicians in the country, madam Chirwa cautioned the magistrates to exhibit a non-partisan posture and bury their sympathy or admiration for political actors and parties while conducting the business of elections, she said.
“The display of our political affiliation disqualified us from conducting any election affairs. We should be as neutral as ever to gain the trust of the voters. They look up to us for a free, fair and peaceful election. We cannot attain that if we are associated with any individual or group that is participating in the election and expect to be fair. Our activities must assure the voters that we can be trusted with the conduct of the elections-this is the steppingstone for any democratic process.”
She however informed participants that election addresses the issues of governance, accountability and transparency in all sectors of government and the community and ensures the peace, security and stability of rights holders and pledged OHCHR’s continuous support to the Government of Liberia and its partners to address all human rights issues which she described as key to the peace and security of the state, noting “human rights are fundamental pillars for democracy which includes the promotion of the rule of law, good governance and the protection and promotion of laws that protect human rights and the dignity of the person.”
The dialogue is part of OHCHR’s post electoral engagement with civil society actors, grantees, the INCHR, the National Elections Commission, political parties as well as law enforcement officers and community watch forum on lessons learned from the 2023 elections; and to ensure peaceful co-existence and mitigate post electoral violence.
The dialogue which is a Peace Building Fund’s (PBF) project under the theme: “Promoting a Peaceful Environment and Community Security in Liberia,” was aimed at sharing lessons learned from the 2023 elections and provide an account of voters’ participation, shortfalls of elections management bodies and discuss ways forward on the recommendations of the OHCHR’s report.
For his part, the Executive Director of the Independent National Commission on Human Rights, Attorney Urias Teh Pouh, charged the magistrates to be icons of trust, discipline and trust in the discharge of their duties as elections managers, saying, “You must use knowledge gained from these discussions to promote peace and tranquility in your areas of work.”
“You are not only elections technicians, you are also an integral part of the society, so your actions and inactions to defraud the people of the choices they make go a long way to derail the peace this country is enjoying.
This is why you should see yourself as peace ambassadors in your community; those who are on the frontier to ensure that their community remains peaceful through their conduct of credible election processes, despite political tensions and rivalries from political actors. You must also use knowledge gained as a tool to engage your community in peaceful dialogue at all levels,” Atty. Pouh charged.
He lauded the magistrates for their resilience in the October 10 general and presidential elections and the November 14 runoff election in 2023, claiming that those elections were the turning points in Liberia’s fragile democracy, and encouraged participants to remain respectful to the rule of laws system in the country while working to ensure that elections are conducted void of government and political influences, noting, “This will make our communities safe from post electoral and other forms of violence.”
Pouh thanked the OHCHR, the NEC, political parties, the LNP and community dwellers for their peaceful posture before and during the elections, noting, “The INCHR extends its highest gratitude to all of you. But we, as Liberians, must conduct ourselves peacefully and respect the democratic process, human rights and the rule of law system and inform them that the 2023 elections process was the first of its kind that was conducted solely by Liberians since the departure of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) in 2018 and it was important to thank all Liberians and partners for conducting a peaceful electoral process.
For her, Commissioner Kou Gaye of the National Elections Commission, described the magistrates as heroes and heroines who risked their lives to ensure that the 2023 elections were peaceful, though there were challenges in some areas.
“If it wasn’t for you, I don’t know how Liberia would have conducted the elections. So, on behalf of the chairperson, members of the Board of Commissioners, I want to say welcome to this important discussion to reflect on the gains we made during the 2023 elections and going forward to identify those human rights gaps that we had and how to remedy them,” Gaye said.
She described October 10 and November 14, 2023 as crucial moments in Liberia’s democratic history, especially after the departure of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), and with the toxic behaviors that characterized political campaigns that led to electoral violence in some hotspots like Lofa and Montserrado Counties which injured several persons, while some lost their lives.
“We cannot thank you more for the way you conducted the elections. Liberians are proud of you and I hope that those gaps that we will identify will be addressed before subsequent elections”, she observed.
The dialogue on lessons learned from the 2023 elections was held at Hotel Buchanan in Grand Bassa County from 17-18 October 2024, aims to address issues of accessibility, logistics, and other constraints that the National Elections Commission experienced during the past electoral period.
