The National Elections Commission has hooked and fined several political parties and independent candidates including the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), the former governing Unity Party (UP) and the Collaborating Political parties (CPP) for violating the Elections Law of Liberia.
In May this year the electoral body of Liberia observed massive pre-campaign activities by various political parties and independent candidates throughout the 1fifteen counties of Liberia and mandated its Political Affairs Section to document and investigate pre-campaign violators on April 7, 2023.
Following the completion of its work, the committee said it documented 201 violators of which 50 percent were from political parties. The committee named some of the parties involved as the Collaborating Political Parties (CDD), Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), and the Unity party (UP).
The parties according to NEC were invited to verify or ascertain whether those photos, billboards, and images of individuals showing support captured by the committee were actually from parties or met their consent.
At the individual meetings, majority of those representing political parties admitted the fact that what they were doing characterized pre-campaigning. They at some point appealed to the Commission to be given a week to remove all pre-campaign materials from the streets.
Meanwhile, the national Elections Commission has imposed a fine of US$5,000 on the CDC, CPP, and UP. The three leading political parties were also ordered to pay the fine in 48 hours and have their campaign materials down in 72 hours.
At the signing of the Farmington River Declaration 2023 Addendum held over the weekend, NEC boss, Davidetta Browne-Lansanah said the saddest part of this violation is the fragrant disrespect and disregard for the rule of law and the Commission by parties and individuals who want to become government.
"Many of your violators of the campaign regulations have been informed so the question now is as the violation is ongoing, as we are approaching the process to qualify candidates where do we go from here?" the NEC boss questioned violators.
Madam Browne-Lansanah termed the action on the part of the violators as troubling.
The NEC boss added that people must be responsible on ground that you cannot violate and expect that you will run the country, or expect that Liberians will have respect for you if you can't respect the law of the country.
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"This is not the way to go. I'm not a politician; I'm just a technician at the National Elections Commission where we prescribed rules, regulations, and guidelines given to the authority by the Constitution of Liberia and the new Elections Law," she noted
Madam Browne-Lansanah continue, "You sit here today as very respectful people but yet you disrespect the NEC, this is very sad. So why do all of us think about where we go from here, with pre-campaigning ongoing, no respect for the rule of law and no respect for the regulators who have the mandate to regulate all of you. It's my hope that you will answer this question before we leave here."
The National Elections Commission (NEC) by law conducts elections in Liberia. The NEC as a regulator of political parties has the authority to draw up regulations and guidelines for how the electoral process would remain guided.
Against this backdrop, the NEC and political parties drafted laws and regulations including laws on campaign and campaign financing all of which were published and distributed to all political parties.
