LIBERIA – The National Democratic Coalition (NDC) has strongly condemned the level of irregularities and the alleged careless handling of the just-ended senatorial by-election conducted in Lofa County by the National Elections Commission (NEC).
The NDC also said it is alarmed by the Weah administration’s alleged interference with the electoral process in the county.
In a statement issued in Monrovia over the weekend, the NDC, however, applauded the former Unity Party and said it also supports the decisions taken by the Unity Party (UP) and stands in strong solidarity with it and the people of Lofa County.
The NDC says it supports the call of the Unity Party for the rerun of the polls. NDC also wants renewed registration of voters and restoration of the absolute majority for the final determination of legislative election results, in accordance with the constitution of the Republic of Liberia.
The NDC statement reflected on a rigged election in 1985 which resulted to the 14-year war that took the lives of more than three hundred thousand Liberians.
“The significance of conducting free and fair elections is for the maintenance of peace in post-war Liberia.
On this account, the NDC believes that public distrust in the ability of the current National Election Commission (NEC) to conduct free and fair elections in Liberia is an indication that the NEC and the government of President George Weah do not take seriously the lessons of the fourteen (14) year Liberian civil war.”
In this current case, it should be noted that the Lofa election raises serious concerns about the potential of eventual chaos in Liberia, the party said.
The statement recounted the mismanagement of the 1985 general and presidential elections that were used as justification for the attempted coup détat of November 12, 1985, and the making of the fourteen-year civil war (1989 to 2003).
It noted the rigging of electoral processes, the manufacturing and importation of artificial votes, the wrong calculation of votes, and obvious irregularities, are recipes for chaos and clear disrespect for the choices and decisions of voters.
NDC called on the opposition, the international community, and the Liberian people not to ignore factors that cause war.
