Monrovia — The six-person Elections Observers team of the All-Liberian Conference on Dual Citizenship (ALCOD) has praised Liberians, who turned out to vote on Election Days -- October 10, 2023 --for the peaceful manner they comported themselves before, during and after.
The ALCOD delegation, which was headed by Ms. Minerva Grant, Vice President of the Union of Liberian Associations in the Americas (ULAA), also praised the National Elections Commission (NEC) for conducting the Presidential and Legislative Elections that they termed as "peaceful, fair, credible and transparent."
Presenting their mission's finding to the public, Ms. Grant, who is affectionately refer to as ULAA's "Iron Lady", said they had spread out in three counties, including Montserrado, Margibi and Grand Bassa, to observe the voting processes.
She stated that their team worked alongside other international observers, all of whom have since validated the transparent credibility of the elections.
The ULAA "Iron Lady", who was flanked on both sides by two of her team members, spoke to the press recently in Monrovia after their observation of Election Day.
Ms. Grant urged Liberians to be patient and wait on the NEC to announce the winners of the elections and any further actions.
As she concluded, she thanked ULAA President, Mr. Alpha Tongor, and all other organizations that make up ALCOD, for making it possible that she and others came to observe the elections in Liberia.
Earlier, the former President of the European Federation of Liberian Associations (EFLA), Mr. John Brownell, historicized that since the cessation of hostilities in 2003, Liberians in the diaspora have continually yearned for peace in their Mother Land. "So, in the beginning, ULAA collaborated with ELFA on how we could partner and bring all Liberian organizations together. In 2004, at an all Liberian conference for peace, we formed reconciliation in the US city of Columbia, Maryland where we were able to discuss the future of our country, including how diaspora Liberians can work to sustain the peace in Liberia."
Brownell further stated that in 2005, they sent some of their members to come and observe the first post-war election. They also came back in 2011 to observe again. He stated that in 2010, EFLA and ULAA decided to push for dual citizenship in Liberia and eventually it led to the formation of ALCOD. ALCOD is the umbrella organization of all Liberian diaspora organizations.
ALCOD comprises of ULAA, EFLA, Union of Liberian Associations in Ghana (ULAG), Federation of Liberian Communities in Australia (FOLICA) and Liberian Advocacy for Change (LAFC). Others are Liberian Associations of Canada (LAC) and Conference of Liberian Organizations in Southwestern USA (COLOSUS).
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"As you may be aware our advocacies since 2010 led to the passage of the Dual Citizenship Law, which is now a law of the land. We have not relented in our quest for sustaining the peace and democracy in Liberia. In 2017, ALCOD sent a team of elections observers to observe that election and we rendered that election free, fair and credible." He stated that during the 2020 midterm Senatorial election, ALCOD sent observer team and again they came again in 2023 to observe the elections.
Also chiming in was Rev. Marcus Y. Sherman, a representative of ULAG. Rev. Sherman buttressed Ms. Grant's assertions about the peaceful and credible nature of the Tuesday, October 10 elections. "We also want to thank God that Liberians came out to vote. Secondly, we want to ask Liberians to remain calm and wait for the official pronouncement from the NEC." He then disclosed that those of them in the diaspora hope that there will come a day that they are allowed to vote from their various locations outside Liberia.
Also, part of the ALCOD Observer Mission were Alexander Bazzie, ULAA; Roland King, EFLA; and Mayango C. Arku, EFLA.
