NEW YORK, USA – Liberian president George Weah has told the 78th Regular Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) that his administration his taken all necessary measures aimed at ensuring his country’s elections this year, are free, fair, transparent, peaceful, inclusive and credible.
Ahead of Liberia’s presidential and legislative elections slated for next month, opposition figures have already begun warning against vote-rigging, with some threatening war, should ballots of the 10 October polls in any way be manipulated.
But in his address at the UNGA on Wednesday, 20 September, at the United Nations Headquarters, New York, USA, Mr. Weah disclosed that all necessary measures including strengthening the country’s electoral body, the National Elections Commission (NEC) to ensure it operates without undue influence, have be taken.
In addition to strengthening the NEC aimed at ensuring it functions without undue influence, Weah informed the UN General Assembly that political parties in Liberia have committed to a nonviolent electoral process by signing the 2023 Farmington River Declaration, which obligates all actors in the elections to continually promote peace.
He gave reassurance that the 10 October polls would be peaceful, indicating that next month’s elections would be the fourth peaceful electoral process in Liberia since the end of the country’s civil war two decades ago.
Mr. Weah described the 10 October elections as an opportunity to sustain what he termed the gains made in the country’s reconstruction and development processes.
