Monrovia – The Foundation for International Dignity (FIND) has expressed concerns about the delay in the conduct of Civic and Voter Education (CVE) by stakeholders across the country.
Speaking recently during a press conference in Monrovia, the executive director of FIND, Roosevelt A. K. Woods said FIND believes early civic and voter education of the entire election and electoral process was the best way in ensuring a peaceful, orderly and transparent electoral process in 2017.
The National Elections Commission (NEC) has planned to launch the CVE, specifically on the voter registration process in November 2016.
“History has shown beyond all reasonable doubts that late and inadequate voter education, especially in rural areas, has contributed tremendously to the huge number of invalid votes, election violence, low voter registration and turnout, discrepancy in election results, double and under-age voter registration, misuse of state resources, the use of excessive force by state security during election and so on,” he said.
According to Woods, in order to defeat electoral anomalies which create negative perception, an effective voter education was crucial to ensure that electorates were well informed to properly exercise their rights to vote.
“We also believe that voter education must be undertaken early and strengthened with emphasis on basic information about the whole election, voting procedures as well as the rights and responsibilities of voters in a democratic and civilized society,” he added.
Woods: “For more than one decade since the Liberian people tasted peace and stability following at least 15 brutal years of war and destruction, the international community, working with the government as well as with and through NGOS and civil society organizations have played a significant role in helping Liberians to maintain the peace won.
They have helped in providing resources and technical assistance to bolster citizens’ awareness and participatory democracy. This must continue in the pending democratic process which we consider the real turning point and test in Liberia’s post war democratic dispensation.”
He called on the international community, regional bodies as well as international NGOs including the Opens Society for West Africa (OSIWA), EU, the US Government through USAID, NDI, Carter Center, IFES, UNDP, etc to provide technical and financial support to local and national civil society organizations so as to begin early civic and voter education across the country.
Woods added that if adequate financial and technical support was given to local and national institutions including FIND, there would be drastic reduction in violence during the 2017 elections.
“Additionally, the electorates on the contrary would be fully informed about their eights and responsibility which overall results would translate into a successful, peaceful, orderly and transparent election come 2017, paving way for a new democratic dispensation in our country,” Woods averred.
Report by Lennart Dodoo/ 777 788 805
Support Independent Journalism
Your support helps FrontPage Africa continue delivering independent, credible, and impactful journalism. Every contribution strengthens our ability to investigate, inform, and hold power accountable while keeping quality journalism accessible to our readers.
Support our journalism or subscribe to receive the latest FrontPage Africa stories and updates.
