Liberia: Lofa County Senatorial By-Election, My Observation

4 July 2022
FrontPageAfrica (Monrovia)
column By Contributing Writer

Dear Mr. Editor,

The results of the recent Lofa County senatorial by-election - as announced by the National Elections Commission (NEC) - revealed the following very significant FAILURES that are some of the hallmarks of our apparently broken electoral system. They need to be FIXED or Liberia stands a very good chance of being engulfed in a crisis of massive proportions come October of 2023.

I. Electoral LAW:

a. AMENDMENT to our existing electoral law regarding "recounting of results" - close elections results, especially those within the "margins of error" should demand/trigger an "automatic recount"

b. The elections law also needs to be AMENDED to include the "outlawing of the announcements of results", obviously unofficial, by parties and or supporters of candidates -and or anyone outside the NEC. This has the potential to instigate confusion and or rob the winner of his/her legitimacy. There should be specific punitive actions brought to bear on violators.

c. The elections law also needs to be AMENDED to curtail/outlaw the very disturbing and shameful practice of publicly "distributing monies and other forms of inducements" to voters to sway and or INFLUENCE their choice/decision. Specific legal (punitive) actions be brought to bear on violators.

II. Electoral PROCESSES:

a. A definite framework and or parameter - legal - must be established to ascertain what qualifies as an INVALID ballot. The current system of determining invalid votes is woefully undefined and could be exploited by unscrupulous elections officials to sway results in favor of their "preferred candidate and or candidates".

b. A better (efficient and TIMELY) system - regarding the announcement of elections results - needs to be established. Currently, the TIME between the END of the elections and the announcements of results is very troubling. This is an indication of gross INCOMPETENCE on the part of the National Elections Commission (NEC) which usually leads to chaos. (Contestants claiming victory and their subsequent publications of tally sheets that cannot be independently verified by officials).

III. RESPONSIBILITIES of the National Election Commission and stakeholders with vested interests

a. The National Election Commission MUST be chastised and or held accountable regarding their "Civic Voters Education" responsibilities. This is seriously lacking. The results of the last "referendum and previous elections showed serious "lack of knowledge on the part of the voters" regarding the voting processes. The QUANTITIES of invalid votes - we have experienced in this and previous elections - are collectively a signal of a much larger CVE problem.

b. The political parties and the elections commission need to work HARDER to ensure "voter turnout" is/are high. The low turnout - 33.29% - of the latest by-election revealed "voters' fatigue" and or the lack of mobilization and or education of the importance of the democratic process.

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Winner - 22,019

Loser - 21,229

Difference 790 = 1.31% of 60,394

Invalid votes - 2,125

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The government of Liberia, the National Elections Commission (NEC), political parties and those with vested interests in Liberian democracy would ignore these recommendations at their own peril.

Benjamin Kofa FYNEAH

2023 Presidential aspirant

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