As Liberians anticipate announcement of official provisional results from the presidential and legislative elections held here Tuesday, the African Union Observer Mission to Liberia Wednesday declared the poll as "free, fair, transparent and credible".
The head of the AU Mission, Dr. Speciosa Wandira Kazibwe, told a news conference here yesterday that "after consultations and observations with its observer teams deployed around the country, the mission notes that the electoral process was generally peaceful and held in accordance with the constitution of the Republic of Liberia, and the new elections law of Liberia".
Therefore, the AU mission chief urged all political parties, candidates and other stakeholders "to use the legally established channels or mechanisms to voice any dispute or electoral grievances they may have in relation to the on-going electoral process".
Dr. Kazibwe, who is former Vice President of Uganda, affirmed that the AU mission observed the general elections within the spirit and letter of the Durban Declaration on the Principles Governing Democratic Elections in Africa, as adopted by the Assembly of the African Union in July 2002.
The AU pointed out that all political parties engaged in peaceful campaigning, while domestic and international observers as well as law enforcement agencies were present at polling centers to ensure security. The mission also stressed the "on-the-spot counting of ballots at the polling centers in an orderly and transparent manner as some factors the mission considered in declaring the process free, fair and transparent."
The mission also noted the opening of polling centers on time, the presence of agents of political parties and independent candidates at polling precincts, no evidence of intimidation or coercion and a massive turnout of voters despite heavy rainfall.
"We are pleased to tell the world that elections in Liberia is free, fair and transparent. Whatever the outcome, the Liberian people have made their choice. At the end of the day, if there is any dispute, it should be validated by the evidence written in the book and signed by all who were represent at various polling stations," Dr. Kazibwe affirmed at the press conference. She congratulated Liberians, political parties and candidates for the "political maturity demonstrated during this electoral process".
Meanwhile, the AU observer mission urged all political parties and their candidates "to accept the outcome of the elections to be announced by the National Elections Commission."
In a related development, the ECOWAS observation mission also congratulated the NEC, security agencies, and all stakeholders involved in the current electoral process for the peaceful and its orderly conduct. The head of the ECOWAS mission, Prof. Attahira Jega, who is hailed for chairing Nigeria's last elections, told a press Wednesday that ECOWAS prayed that the "process would continue without interference so that the will of the Liberian people will prevail".
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"AU Declares Elections Free and Fair"
Of course.
The white man's UN declared thus and so, AU, the white man's naked vuvuzela, repeats same.
Elections in Africa are "free and fair" if and only if the white man's puppet wins - or if the whites successfully engineer "a win" for their lackey. {Their foreign murderous raping forces were in Liberia - poised to rape and kill the native to ensure a win for their foreign American.}
Seriously, you don't make any sense. your comments are full of anecdotes and add nothing to the conversation. While it's true that the ECOMOG troops probably were not as effective as people would have hoped, Liberians are at the heart of the state of Liberia. Things happened because Liberians made it so; The AU is not a puppet of the WEST, and let me so far point to this. The AU has refused to recognize the NTC in Libya and did this as a united front. Do you not realize lest united Africa does not stand chance (as individual/micro states) against much more economically powerful states. Now let's relate this to the Liberian context, lest liberian are united as a people towards a collective future, we will forever be "oppressed" as you put it. In closing you do a great do pointing to the obvious problems, but you offer no solutions. It's quite easy to state the obvious, but where meat lay is in finding solutions for the liberia context...and not by injecting lauded language such as "native" and this or that.
"injecting lauded language such as "native""
Of course you and your foreign kin hate the pesky natives and you don't want to hear about us: We should be seen and not heard - preferably (and before this century is done) not seen at all.
You denigrate us in South Africa. You starve us in Zimbabwe. You slaughter us in Somalia. You impoverish us in Libya. You exterminate us in Cote d'Ivoire. For the video pleasure of it, you don't have to see the whites of our eyes as we die: You kill us by drones remotely controlled - all the way from USA.
"native" is loaded. Our bodies are used destructively to develop medicine for your holy whites and test virulent chemical/biological agents for your Weapons of Mass Destruction.
There is a quickening. The end for the native - the African Child on the bosom of bountiful Mother Africa - is nigh. Bear with us a while longer - as long as you LET us live. We are the native - the denigrated long-suffering native of Africa.
By our mudzimu, we struggle. We falter. We are still here.
AU has childishly recognized the Libya's NTC. please be informed b4 u comment.
I ALSO FEEL THIS WAS NOT A RESPONSIBLE REPLY. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE ATROCITIES THAT TOOK PLACE IN LIBERIA DURING THEIR CIVILWAR AND FOR THEM TO REMAIN UNITED AND STAND TO GETHER AS A PEOPLE THIS A GREAT ACHIEVEMNET FOR PEOLE ON THE PLANET NOT JUST WE AS AFRICANS BECAUSE THESE ARE THE WAYS OF OUR ANCIENST THEY WOULD NEVER RESORT TO RAPE MURDER AND CONFLICT WITH SUCH DEPRAVITYAND SETRUCTION THESE ARE THE WAYS OF THE UNCIVILISED. WE SEE THEM IN THE FORM OF NATO AND THEIR LACKEYS THESE ARE THE TRUE TERRORISTM. MY BROHTRE AFRICANS WERE THE FATHERS OF HUMANITY HENCE CIVILZATION THIS IS NOT FANTASY. REMEBER THE BOOKS HAVE BEEN REWRITTEN BUT THE TRUTH CAN NOT BE HIDDEN WE DONT CREATE ALL THESE TOOLS FOR WAR BECAUSE WE FROM A NATURAL STANDPOINT DONT STUDY WAR. WE ARE CREATORS BUILDERS DVELLOPERS WE HAVE ALWAYS BROUGHT THOSE WHO WEWRE LOST AND TAUGHT THEM HOW TO LIVE AND PRAISE GOD. EVERY OTHER NATION ON THE PLANET YOU WILL SOME RESEMBLANCE TO WHAT YOU SEE IN YOUR COUNTRY AND CULTURE BUT YOU DO NOT SEE THESE THINGS IN PREDOMINANTLY WHITE CULTURES . THEY REJCTED OUR TEACHINGS AND HAVE TURNED THE TRUTH INTO A LIE AND WHAT IS WRONG RIGHT. WHEN WE HEAR THAT IN ORDER FOR US TO GET THEIR MONEY THAT THEY DONT HAVE ANDWHAT THEY STOLE WE MUST AS AMN START MAKING LOVE TO EACH OTHER AND FORSAKE OUR QUEENS. WHAT TYPE OFR MADNESS IS THAT ? SO YOU SEE WHEN WE SEE A NATION TRULY DIVIDED BY WAR BUT WERE ABLE TO COME TOGETHER AND RECOGNISE THE FOLLY IN THEIR BEHAVOIUR ITS INDEED TO BE CELEBRATED AND STUDIED AROUND THE WORLD WE DO NOT NEED TO HAVE ALL THESE PRISONS ANDREVENGE WE ARE "GOD" FEARING PEOPLE AND IF "HE IS MIST MOST FORGIVING THEN WE SHOULD BE EVEN MORE FORGIVING SO WE COULD ALL BE BLESSED WITH HIS GRACE ANDHIS LOVE.MAY THE "ALMIGHTY GOD" CONTINUE T GUIDE AND BLESS THESE INTELLIGENT PEOPLE
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