Ahead of the Much anticipated general and presidential elections in Liberia slated for October 2023, the stakes are high and there are fears that, if not carefully managed, the process would not meet the expected goal of delivering a peaceful, transparent election.
THE CAPACITY of the National Elections Commission (NEC) continues to come under sharp public criticisms amid reports of internal wrangling amongst Commissioners of the NEC, which appears to be undermining the ability of the commission to properly organize and conduct a well-planned election as a house divided cannot stand.
THE TREND of events characterizing the voters' registration thus far has shown that the NEC might not be up to the task of organizing and conducting an election free of excesses - and these excesses might lead to candidates challenging the outcome of the election and thus bringing the country to a standstill.
AS EARLY AS the first two weeks of the voters registration process, there have been reports and evidence of double registration by some individuals, and these act point to the internal weakness in the system put in place by NEC for the process.
IF THE PROCESS is well organized and automated, a biometric process as NEC has announced, double registration would not be possible because a biometric process is able to quickly detect the physical features of an individual thereby preventing such individual from registering twice.
DOUBLE REGISTRATION is a glaring example of how the NEC process is prone to fraud and it is the fraudulent registration information that will be used for election which will also make the election susceptible to fraud as well.
BESIDES DOUBLE registration, there are other excesses that NEC has shown its inability to detect and control which could hinder a free, fair and credible election.
UNDERAGED children as young as fourteen (14) years are tricking NEC workers into allowing them to register and obtain Voter Registration cards by claiming a higher age.
NEC HAD EARLIER indicated that before certain categories of people are allowed to register, there will be a need to get community leaders to at least attest to basic information about some individuals before they are allowed to register, but such is not the case at the moment.
YOUNG CHILDREN now view the Voter Registration process as play where one can run and get a Voter Registration card and inform his friend to go and call bigger age in order to also obtain a Voter Registration card.
THIS COULD LEAD to many underaged voters taking part in the electoral process in violation of the Constitution of Liberia 1986, which provides for only citizens who have attained the age of 18 years and above to vote during elections.
IF NEC IS UNABLE to put in place measures to ensure that children who are underaged are not allowed to register what more can NEC do during polling itself?
ANOTHER MAJOR pitfall of the NEC is the issue of the shortage of Registration cards at many centers in Monrovia and its immediate environs. At several centers people are made to que for hours waiting for registration cards to arrive with NEC workers continually informing people who turn out that there are no cards and that they should wait until cards arrive.
SOME PEOPLE have to go home, return the following day and again be told that there are still no cards. This is very worrisome as if there can be shortage of cards in Monrovia and immediate environs where people are made to go and come for several days, what more about rural counties where bad roads and long distances are a serious challenge.
THESE ARE all glaring signs that NEC has shown during these early periods that it is incapable of organizing and conducting a free, fair and transparent election.
VOTER REGISTRATION should not be such a cumbersome process as NEC is making the process to be as such is discouraging some citizens who can not bear the stress of standing on line for long hours only to obtain a Voters Registration card.
WITH VOTERS' apathy already affecting the electoral process in Liberia over the last few years due to corruption and lack of basic social services to the citizenry, the manner and form in which NEC is conducting the ongoing Voter Registration raise fears that the electoral process will encounter serious setbacks.
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DISPUTES IN election start to build from the first process leading to the election, which is the Voter registration and the poor and disorganized manner in which NEC is carrying out the process in Montserrado County, the remaining counties could be worse.
COMMISSIONERS at NEC are not in those positions for self-seeking glory, ignoring the bigger picture, and engaging in in-house bickering over non-essential things, the quest for control and power.
THE PROCESS these Commissioners are spearheading has to do with the lives of over Five million people, therefore, their egos should not overshadow the well-being of millions.
THE EARLY SIGNS are clear that something must be done to ensure that NEC steps up to the game and make the necessary changes for the betterment ahead of elections in October.
THE SUCCESS of the October elections depends on the Voter Registration and other processes leading to October. It is not too late to beef up the game and NEC must avoid denial that all is well and do the right things to get it right.
