By Bill W. Cooper
The international community has cautioned the National Elections Commission (NEC) to ensure the conduct of free, fair and transparent polls in 2023.
As next year’s process is crucial to the sustenance of peace and stability of the country, the partners called on NEC to ensure that the process is held peacefully as anything to the contrary shall be accountable.
The partners include the United States, European Union, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Sweden and the United Nations, among others.
The donors were eager in knowing the Commission preparedness in the introduction of a Biometric Voters Registration (BVR) system.
NEC’s Chairperson, Davidetta Browne-Lansanah, lauded the partners for the visit and said that could be the best way to deal with the electoral process in the country.
Browne Lansanah said the visit of the delegation comes at a time when the Commission is moving towards the conduct of the Voters Registration Exercise (VRE) as well as the conduct of 2023 general elections in Liberia.
She said each applicant’s particulars will be captured including facial image, fingerprint and issuance of printed card with special features as there are many advantages the commission stands to gain by introducing the BVR system which will be instituted through electronic objects such as tablets and scanners.
“Some advantages of the BVR include prevention of multiple registrations, accuracy of information, creation of unique lifetime voter identification for each registered voter, eradication of voters’ impersonation, and others,” she maintained.
But according to the partners, the peace and security of Liberia is very crucial to them as such, it is incumbent upon them to ensure and work with the Commission for a successful election.
“Election matters in every country are important therefore NEC has a huge task to execute a successful process. We as partners will work and cooperate with NEC for a transparent process,” they added.
Chairperson Browne-Lansanah vowed by assuring partners and Liberians peaceful and transparent elections across the country.
Commenting on the BVR system, she noted that the voter registrations exercise, portable tablets with scanners will be used and that the data entry process will also be performed by the use of customized software.
Browne-Lansanah advanced further that the use of the new methodology, the Commission is going to run a three-region registration process for the elections across the 15 counties starting Thursday, December 15, 2022, to Friday, March 17, 2023, as the launching of the registration process which will begin with region one.
The NEC boss maintained that Montserrado, Bomi, Gbarpolu, and Grand Cape Mount Counties will constitute phase one from Thursday, December 15, 2022, to Friday, January 6, 2023.
While region two which includes Bong, Grand Bassa, Lofa and Margibi Counties which is the second phase of the process will run from Saturday, January 21 to Friday, February 10 of next year.
Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Maryland, Nimba, River Gee, Rivercess and Sinoe Counties will be the last phase of the in region three from Saturday, February 25 to Friday, March 17 of the electoral year.
The three regions shall conduct the registration process spontaneously doing the three weeks period.
The one-day information sharing and fact finding session was held with the joint delegation of One United Nations, Ambassadorial Missions, as well as international and regional partners on the compound of the NEC in Monrovia.
The meeting was the first of its kind to have the international community in Liberia jointly visit the Commission as the NEC moves toward its Voter Registration process.
It was arranged by the United Nations in Liberia and its international and regional partners.
Speaking on behalf of the delegation, UN Resident Coordinator to Liberia, Niels Scott said, their visit represents the importance of the international community attached to the electoral processes leading to the conduct of the general elections.
He said the delegation came to hear from the commission how matters are proceeding and what support the Commission may require.
The delegation is anticipating that their visit and support to the Commission would strengthen citizen’s trust in the work of the Commission.
The joint delegation of the international community included the UN, Ambassadorial Missions, including the European Union (EU), the United States of America, Sweden, Germany, and Great Britain and the ECOWAS Commission.
Other Ambassadorial Missions included those from Ghana, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, and Nigeria.
The Country Managing Director of the African Development Bank, (ACDB) and the Ambassador of Lebanon also participated in the meeting.
