The following is a statement by the President of Liberia Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on the recent by-election in Montserrado County.

Fellow Liberians,

As you know, Montserrado County held senatorial by-elections on November 2009 to choose the person who will replace the late Hannah Brent, who passed away not too long ago. There were 10 candidates and because nobody won more than 50 percent, we are headed for a second round, which will oppose Ms. Geraldine Doe-Sheriff of the Congress for Democratic Change and Mr. Clemenceau Blayon Urey of the Unity Party.

I want to take this opportunity to congratulate all the political parties and candidates for participating in the process and especially, I want to thank them for conducting themselves in a very civil manner. They have been respectful to each other. I also want to commend all the partisans and people who worked for the parties for showing a great level of political maturity. This is what democracy is all about. We may have our differences, but we can always resolve everything through dialogue and peaceful negotiations. We thank also, our internal partners, who provided security during the first round of voting.

I want to call on everyone, especially the partisans of CDC and UP to show the same level of maturity, respect for each other and abide by the democratic principles during the second round. No matter who wins, we will still be here and we will have to work together to make Liberia better for everyone and for future generations.

I know there have been concerns about delays and disorganizations in some polling places. This is the first time that the National Elections Commissions had to organize elections in such a big county. You all know that Montserrado County is the largest county of the country, with more than fifty-percent of the entire voting population. This was a challenge for everyone. This is not to excuse the delays that sometimes discouraged some people from voting. We must not let this happen again, especially in the second round. I hope that NEC has learned lessons from the first round and will get its house in order for the second round.

To help lessen the problems and avoid the delays, I have directed the General Services Agencies to work with NEC and provide all the logistical support they need to make the process smooth.

Before I end this, I would like to call on all of those who stay home in the first round and did not vote, to come up this time and participate in the process. We must all be involved. This is how democracy works and we must work to ensure that it is nourished.