Monrovia — Henry Costa, Liberia's famous talk show host says the first phase of the biometric voter registration was marked by numerous system failures, including malfunctioning biometric machines, and a lack of properly trained staff.
Costa remarked when he spoke to journalists at a news conference Tuesday.
"The first phase of the biometric voter registration exercise was a disaster. The National Elections Commission of Liberia failed to deliver on its mandate to provide a fair, transparent, and efficient voter registration process," Costa said.
He added: "We saw numerous system failures, including malfunctioning biometric machines, and a lack of properly trained staff."
According to him, the outcome of what he termed as a flawed exercise is the reason for the low turnout, particularly in areas where the failures were most pronounced during the first phase of the voter registration process.
"This is unacceptable and considerably calls into question the integrity of the electoral process in Liberia," Costa said.
The talk show host further states that the signs of voter suppression were also evident during the first phase of the biometric voter registration.
Costa alleged that individuals were being turned away from registration centers based on what he referred to as flimsy reasons.
"The time allotted to conduct the first phase of the voter registration, especially in the most populous county of Montserrado, was very insufficient," he said.
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Costa added: "Also, there was the issue of inaccessibility of registration centers which saw far too many people having to travel long distances, especially in the rural areas, oftentimes only to be told after making the long and hard journey that the system is down."
Such action according to Costa is a clear attempt to disenfranchise certain segments of the population and undermine the democratic process.
He added: "In light of this, let me strongly re-echo the fervent call by the leader of the opposition, former Vice President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, that the voter registration period be extended to allow all eligible Liberians to register so that they may be able to exercise their God-given, constitutionally-guaranteed franchise in the all-important October 10, 2023, General and Presidential Elections."
As the second phase of biometric voter registration is about to begin, Costa urged NEC to ensure that the exercise is conducted with fairness, transparency, and efficiency.
"As we move forward to the second phase of the biometric voter registration exercise, we demand that the NEC do a much better job," he said.
Costa added: "They must take steps to address the system failures that plagued the first phase and put in place measures to prevent voter suppression."
