In Liberia, some 2,471,617 voters including 1,237,257 women (50.06%) and 1,234,360 men (49.94%) are expected to vote this Tuesday, 10 October 2023, to elect their President, as well as fifteen (15) Senators and seventy-three (73) members of the House of Representatives. For all these elections 1,025 candidates have been validated by the Supreme Court, with 20 candidates competing for the Presidency, including 2 women.
Voting will take place at 5,890 polling stations in Liberia’s 15 counties.
From the first hours of the day, a delegation led by Prof. Attahiru JEGA, head of the Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) deployed by ECOWAS, accompanied by Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, H.E. Ambassador Josephine NKRUMA, ECOWAS Resident Representative to Liberia, Ms SALAMATU HUSSEINI, Member of the ECOWAS Council of Wise Men, H.E. Ambassador MUSA SANI NUHU, Chairman of the Permanent Representative Committee of the Economic Community of West African States and H.E. Ambassador KALILOU TRAORE, member of the PRC, visited several centers and polling stations in Monrovia, the capital of the country, to observe the opening and voting process of the polls.
The members of the ECOWAS delegation visited some polling stations including Matilda Newport High School, William V.S Tubman Silver Jubilee Elem.&Jr. High School and visited several situation rooms including that of the Association of Youth, WANEP, the association of Women, civil society and ECOWAS, where they received briefings on voting operations from the various teams deployed on the field.
In the afternoon, Prof. Attahiru JEGA and his delegation went to the polling stations of West Point Administrative Building, Police Station, Central Mosque Elementary School, Clara Town Central School, Famina Islamic School, and other polling stations in Monrovia.
The ECOWAS team noted a high number of voters present very early at the voting centers waiting for the start of voting to fulfill their civic duty.
Taking stock of the conduct of the elections after reviewing the reports of the ECOWAS observation teams, the head of mission noted that the polls opened on time, and no major incidents were reported, and commended the calm and orderliness at the various voting centers visited.
He appealed to Liberians to persevere in this direction and to allow the National Elections Commission (NEC) to conduct voting process successfully. He stressed the need for a climate of peace, tolerance, and consensus.
About 8,441 national and international observers have been accredited by the National Electoral Commission, among them those of ECOWAS, the African Union (AU), the European Union, WANEP, Yiaga Africa, the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA), the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (RESEAO/ECONEC), the Association of Women and Liberian Civil Society.
After a compilation of the reports of the 120 observers deployed by ECOWAS, the head of the ECOWAS Electoral Mission, Prof. Attahiru JEGA, will give a press conference
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
