ON THE EVE of this week's runoff elections, Justice Minister Frank Musah Dean issued a stern warning to all actors in the ongoing electoral process to steer clear of announcing results of the runoff ahead of the National Elections Commission, the statutory body charged with the mandate to conduct elections, which includes announcement of results.
IN THE LAST 48 HOURS, however, officials and supporters of both the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change and the opposition Unity Party have taken to the social medium Facebook declaring themselves victors even before the National Elections Commission began announcing the first results Wednesday.
THE MOST DAMNING comes from former Finance Minister Amara Konneh, a newly elected Senator from Gbarpolu County, and the campaign coordinator of the Unity Party.
Mr. KONNEH, began his rants hours after votes were cast, providing what he claims are update of votes tallied by the Unity Party's technical team.
ACCORDING TO KONNEH, the Unity Party had counted votes from 85% of all polling places (5,052 out of 5,890) reported. Of this count, he claims former Vice President, Joseph Boakai has a lead 40,910 votes nationwide. Mr. Konneh went as far as promising to provide more updates during the same period the authorized body charged with announcing results, is still compiling tallies from voting centers across the country. Mr. Konneh claims that the figures he's announcing are unofficial but certified by NEC record of counts.
IN THE SAME VEIN, supporters of the ruling party assembled at the party's headquarters hours after the elections for a pre-election victory celebration. The following day, District No. 10 Representative Yekeh Kolubah, a stern critic of President Weah, took to the streets as the UP trumpeted its own pre-election victory celebration.
ADDITIONALLY, Joshua Milton Blahyi, one of the most feared killers of Liberia's brutal civil war used a Facebook live to issue what he says is a final directive from the Rescue Soldiers, threatening retaliation against supporters of the CDC he claims were engaged in violence.
FOR A FRAGILE NATION like Liberia, these utterances and actions do not bode well, and need be put on notice by all well-meaning Liberians.
MANY ARE QUICK TO FORGET that Liberia's long, brutal, and bloody civil war was triggered in the aftermath of the 1985 presidential elections which saw Head of State Samuel Kanyon Doe transition from a military man to a civil President, in an election marred by allegations of fraud and vote rigging.
WEEKS AFTER those elections, on November 12, 1985, Commanding General Thomas G. Quiwonkpa, who had earlier broken ranks with Doe, staged an invasion into Liberia which was foiled by Doe. Nearly Five years later, Charles Taylor launched a civil war that on Christmas Even 1989, one that killed thousands of Liberians and sent scores of others into exile.
THAT WAR led to the deaths of mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers. Rape of underage girls became a norm and hundreds of youngsters were forced to become child soldiers.
AT THE HEIGHT of the civil war, many Liberians, angered by the fighting threw the corpses of their loved ones at the gates of the US embassy in Monrovia, expressing angst that the US and other international bodies were standing by and doing nothing while thousands were slain and slaughtered like dogs.
WITH MUCH OF the world's attention on the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas and the war heightening between Russia and Ukraine, Liberia is the last thing on the radar of international stakeholders, who may not be in the position to come to our rescue should anything arise out of the ongoing post-election fracas brewing in Liberia and threatening the country's post-war peace.
WITH MUCH OF the world's attention on the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas and the war heightening between Russia and Ukraine, Liberia is the last thing on the radar of international stakeholders, who may not be in the position to come to our rescue should anything arise out of the ongoing post-election fracas brewing in Liberia and threatening the country's post-war peace.
SINCE THE END of the civil war Liberia has had a successful transfer of power from one democratically elected government to another, when President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf transferred the mantle of authority to President George Manneh Weah.
DEPENDING ON HOW the results of these elections turn out, that trend will likely continue. However, it is important that all Liberians ensure that the post-war peace continues without any blemish owing to yet another post-election crisis.
THIS IS WHY many of the international stakeholders observing these elections are cautioning all political actors to walk a fine line and tread carefully.
ON THURSDAY, Dr. Linda Thomas Greenfield, Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations while reaffirming the US commitment to democracy in this week's runoff election, pledged to call out anyone who undermines the electoral process through fraud, violence, or intimidation.
ADDITIONALLY, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has added its voice, urging stakeholders involved in Liberia's presidential runoff elections to remain calm while awaiting the official results from the National Elections Commission (NEC). Expressing deep concern over provocative statements and alleged plans by political actors to prematurely declare victory, the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission to the November 14 elections emphasized the importance of patience and restraint during this critical period.
IN A FRAGILE WEST AFRICA subregion already bruising from civil wars in Liberia, Sierra Leone and troubles in Guinea, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, and Niger, it is important that political actors take cue from recent actions taken against neighboring Sierra Leone and Nigeria.
IN SIERRA LEONE, the US announced a new visa restriction policy under Section 212(a)(3)C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act targeting those undermining the democratic process in the June 2023 Sierra Leone election.
THE BAN EYED THOSE believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining democracy, including through the manipulation, or rigging of the electoral process; intimidation of voters, election observers, or civil society organizations through threats or acts of physical violence; or the abuse or violation of related human rights in Sierra Leone.
UNDER THE BAN, family members of such persons are also subject to these restrictions. "Persons who undermine the democratic process in Sierra Leone--including in the lead-up to, during, and following Sierra Leone's 2023 elections--may be found ineligible for U.S. visas under this policy."
ON THE EVE OF THE LIBERIA ELECTIONS, the US issued a similar ban, including not just manipulation or rigging of the electoral process or the use of violence to prevent people from exercising their rights to freedom of association and peaceful assembly, but also against those engaged in threatening the media from disseminating their views; or engagement in any other activity designed to improperly influence the outcome of an election.
THIS IS WHY WE AGREE that announcing results ahead of the National Elections is wrong. Even more troubling, is the fact that supporters on both sides are engaging in pre-election victory celebrations when the official tallies have not been completed.
THE BEAUTY ABOUT DEMOCRACY is that it allows people to cast their votes for those they want to lead them. The choice may not be as popular, but it is their choice. The great United States of America had their issue with President Donald Trump. They used the ballot box to remove him. Despite all his attempts to influence and intimidate election workers, the votes were simply not enough to get him a second term. Mr. Trump is currently facing countless charges of attempts to alter the outcome of the election that removed him from power. The justice system is making sure that he pays for his alleged crimes against democracy.
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THIS IS WHY it is important that all Liberians remain patient and tolerant and allow the National Elections Commission to complete its announcement of the election results.
THE WORLD IS WATCHING. Millions of dollars have been poured in by international stakeholders, who have sent various observers to monitor the elections and give their reports. Many others are assigned at NEC and others visited polling stations to get a first-hand picture of the process.
IT IS NOT IN THE BEST INTEREST OF Liberia to have former warlords issuing threats when the country is yet to have them pay for the killings of thousands of Liberians who died in the civil war. It is not in the best interest of Liberia for any political actor or their supporters, to announce results ahead of the National Elections Commission.
THIS UGLY PICTURE suggests that Liberia is a nation without law and order, a nation where any Tom, Dick and Harry can do and say anything without repercussions.
SUCH ACTIONS are detrimental to Liberia's immediate future, and its continuing transition from war to peace. Such actions will only lead to chaos, confusion, heartbreaks, and headaches. More importantly, these lawless adventures have all the makings of Liberia's ugly past, resurfacing, at a time, when Africa's oldest republic should be far removed from the pains of its past - and working toward a better future for generations yet unborn.
