A former director of political affairs and procurement at the National Elections Commission will now run the commission's day-to-day operations after its board named Atty. Joseph A. Yarsiah executive director.
The NEC announced the appointment Wednesday, a day after its Board of Commissioners adopted a resolution approving it. The commission said the appointment received the required two-thirds majority of board members present and voting, and that Yarsiah emerged as the most qualified candidate after a vetting process.
Yarsiah succeeds Anthony Sengbeh, who served as executive director under former NEC Chairperson Davidetta Browne Lansanah. Browne Lansanah resigned in March.
As executive director, Yarsiah will be the commission's chief administrative officer, overseeing its departments and divisions and carrying out the decisions and directives of the Board of Commissioners. The NEC advertised the post in August, describing it as the chief administrative and operational position responsible for managing the NEC Secretariat and translating the board's decisions into operational plans.
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Under Section 2.19 of the New Elections Law, as amended in 2014, the board has the authority to appoint the executive director.
The commission said Yarsiah's experience, technical knowledge and institutional leadership capabilities were among the factors considered in his selection.
According to his professional profile, Yarsiah previously served as the NEC's director of political affairs and later as director of procurement, handling electoral and regulatory matters including political and campaign finance regulations. He holds an LL.B. from the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law and a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Liberia, and practiced law, including at JG Korkoya Law Office, before joining the commission.
A Supreme Court record from the dispute over the 2017 presidential election identifies Yarsiah as an NEC director of political affairs who testified on the commission's behalf.
His appointment comes as the commission works to strengthen its administrative and operational systems following the change in its top leadership. President Joseph Nyuma Boakai nominated Jonathan K. Weedor as NEC chairman in March after Browne Lansanah's resignation. Weedor previously served as an NEC commissioner from 2004 to 2020 and has publicly emphasized investment in electoral technology, civic and voter education and stronger public engagement.
Yarsiah will work under the direction of the board and its chairman. His formal induction is scheduled for early October at the NEC headquarters in Monrovia.
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