The Election Situation Room (ESR) urges political parties to demonstrate leadership and tolerance in accepting the outcome of October 10 elections.
ESR also appeals to political parties to ensure that future elections are more focused on issues than personalities and urges them to build national cohesion and refrain from political rhetoric that deepens divisiveness in Liberia.
"We implore political parties to encourage their supporters to be law-abiding and all Liberians to remain peaceful as they await the announcement of the official results by the National Election Commission (NEC)," the statement said.
The ESR delivered this statement at a press conference on October 11, held at the Sinkor Palace in Monrovia, on the October 10 general and presidential election observation.
According to ESR, NEC, Political Parties, and other relevant governance institutions should ensure implementation of recommendations from the reports of domestic and International Election Observers Missions (EOMs) to improve the electoral processes in Liberia.
They added that Presidential and legislative debates in Liberia should be encouraged and legislated as a means of engaging and enlightening the citizenry on the manifestos of political parties so that electorates can make informed decisions. And political parties and their supporters are encouraged to refrain from using abusive language in expressing their views. They must exercise patience while waiting for NEC to declare the results.
In addition, they said the security operatives should intensify timely and effective response mechanisms to address security concerns during the tallying and announcement of results.
"We encourage Liberians," they said, "to cultivate patriotism and embrace civic responsibility in the interest of national peace and security. We also urge NEC to continue to be professional and sensitive to the choices of the citizens as they timeously release the results in line with the electoral laws.
However, ESR commended all Liberians for their patriotism and patience in the post voting activities and also applauded the efforts of the NEC, the political parties and the security services, civil society organizations, women, and the youth for their contributions towards the generally peaceful campaign and voting processes.
Meanwhile, the ESR also expressed appreciation to the international and domestic election observers for monitoring the electoral process.
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They also encouraged all stakeholders to utilize laid down procedures to seek redress through established legal channels for any electoral grievance.
According to ESR, timely and effective communication by the NEC is essential in all phases of the electoral process to dispel rumors and suspicions among political parties, their supporters, and stakeholders.
"To strengthen collaboration between CSOs and the NEC, it is necessary to enhance information dissemination at all levels, especially at the community level," the group noted.
They also said that a highly trained official of NEC, especially one with requisite knowledge of the electoral procedures, is imperative for effective management of the electoral processes to enhance credibility and trust in the system.
ESR also noted that media professionalism is key to preventing misinformation and disinformation amongst the general populace, and the presence of election observers enhances the credibility of the electoral process.
The presence of sufficient security personnel or systems, the ESR said, is necessary for the confidence of voters and the electoral process.
