Monrovia – The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) Election Observation Missions in Liberia have praised the government and Liberians for ensuring peaceful elections on Tuesday, October 10, 2023.
The ECOWAS and AU missions are being led by Prof. Attahiru Jega, former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission of Nigeria, and former Vice President of South Africa, Madam A-humble Mlambo-Ngauka, a member of the African Union Panel of the Wise.
In a statement, the missions expressed admiration for the voters’ discipline, patience, and peaceful conduct despite the long queues observed at most precincts.
The statement read, “They particularly commend the women and the youth for their display of patriotism and commitment to democracy by turning out in large numbers to vote.”
They also commended the National Elections Commission (NEC) for their professional conduct of the voting process on Election Day and lauded the Joint Security Task Force for effectively providing election security.
However, the Missions urged the NEC to maintain a high level of transparency, accountability, and openness in the management of the results collation, tallying, and announcement of final results.
The ECOWAS and AU missions also encouraged the media, political parties, and candidates to refrain from prematurely announcing election results before NEC’s official declaration.
“The ECOWAS and AU appeal to the people of Liberia to exercise maximum patience and remain calm while awaiting the declaration of the final results,” the communication emphasized.