The United States Embassy in Monrovia has congratulated President-elect Joseph N. Boakai and extended messages of commendation to President George Weah for conceding gracefully.
In a statement issued by U.S. Embassy Chargé d'Affaires Catherine Rodriguez on Wednesday, November 21, she urged Liberians to join President Weah and accept the result of the November 14, Presidential election peacefully.
Charge'd'Affaires Rodriguez noted that the runoff and the October 10 general elections were a success, adding that it further consolidates Liberia's post-civil war democratic gains, and cementing its position as a beacon of democratic self-governance in Africa.
The US diplomat further that reports by independent international and domestic observers deployed across nearly every polling place in the country attest to the success of the elections.
"They have all praised the overall transparency and credibility of the election process. Many people and institutions deserve credit for this historic achievement by Liberia.
They include ordinary Liberians who stood patiently and peacefully in lines across the country to vote for their national leaders.
They also include the various candidates, political parties, civil society, and media organizations who played an important role in ensuring a peaceful election process. Our very special congratulations go to the NEC for independently organizing the elections under intense pressure and facing daunting challenges," she said.
The statement also recognized NEC workers who braved difficult roads and travelled long distances to make sure voting materials were available at all 5,890 polling places across Liberia in time for voters to cast their ballots.
"They spent long hours counting ballots, and calmly resolved sometimes heated disputes at tallying centers, patiently explaining the process to party representatives," she explained.
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Charge'd'Affaires Rodriguez in commending NEC opined that the daily press conferences held by the NEC Commissioners were a model of transparency. Commissioners provided timely election results to the public and forthrightly responded to questions from the media.
"They took quick action to address legitimate complaints about the integrity of the elections, ordering revotes and recounts when necessary.
The NEC's performance is even more remarkable and deserves our special commendation because the 2023 elections were the first conducted since the end of the Liberian civil war without any direct financial support from the international community.
Liberians should be proud of themselves for peacefully turning out to vote. They should also be proud of the NEC for meeting the challenge and independently executing its mandate to administer an election process that accurately reflects the will of the people," she concluded.
