Monrovia — The head of the European Union Mission to Liberia, Laurent Delahousse, has cautioned Liberian politicians to stop trucking and abide by the regulations of Liberia's National Elections Commission (NEC) leading to the crucial Presidential and Legislative Elections in October.
"We have observed also the voter registration process and we have witnessed during this registration process the practice of trucking. This practice is illegal, it is against the regulations, it is against the basic principles of representative democracy. I just wanted to mention that issue because it has been witnessed by many of our observers in the country," said Amb. Laurent Delahousse.
Speaking at the meeting on Wednesday, Amb. Delahousse said the international community supports the electoral process in Liberia politically and financially, noting that they are friends and admirers of Liberian democracy.
As Liberia goes to the polls in October, he said if invited by the Government of Liberia and by the Elections Commission, some countries of the international community will send elections observers.
He revealed that currently, there is an exploratory mission from the European Union to prepare a possible European Union observation mission, noting the mission has met with the media, political parties, the Elections Commission and all stakeholders but there is no public communication at this stage.
The EU Head of Mission was quick to point out that while he was not speaking for the international community, he wanted to register that they support fully the National Elections Commission to organize the election.
"We have full trust in the National Elections Commission. We call on political parties and the National Elections Commission to be very clear on the implementation of the election regulations. The campaign regulations are very important because, for the functioning of the Liberian democracy, it is essential that there is a level playing field."
He continued: "It is essential that all players follow the same rules, that there are no players who start campaigning before the others. There are objective differences between the means and resources available to political parties, but the rules must be the same and the rules must be strictly enforced by the National Elections Commission and strictly respected by the political parties."
Voter trucking, an ominous practice where politicians lure non-resident eligible voters to their constituents to obtain votes, has become a widespread phenomenon within Liberian body politics since the end of the war. Observers say this practice, if not put to an end, could erode the essence of representative democracy in Liberia.
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Amb. Delahousse comments is in confirmation of the Elections Coordinating Committee (ECC) Biometric Voter Registration Phase-one Observation Report.
The ECC, Liberia's leading election observatory group, in its report, said there were instances of voter trucking by aspirants, notably in three counties - Margibi, Montserrado, and Grand Bassa and primarily targeting first-time voters.
In its recommendations, the ECC, among other things, called on the Ministry of Justice to ensure that ongoing investigations into electoral offenses are properly conducted and completed and the outcomes made available to the public, and to also hold perpetrators accountable.
However, as Phase Two of the BVR exercise kickoff, there are reports that political aspirants are again trucking.
Last week, a group, under the banner 'Buu Yao Concerned Citizens Movement' accused Nimba County District #5 Representative Samuel G. Kogar of recruiting non-residents of his constituency and paying them US$50 to US$60 to register in his District.
In debunking the group's claim, Rep. Kogar said he is not trucking non-residents, but assisting natives of his constituents who have expressed their desire to register there but do not have the means to go.
