MONROVIA – Liberia’s National Elections Commission (NEC) chairperson, Madam Davidetta Browne-Lansanah, has disclosed that the electoral body is yet to receive from the Government of Liberia (GoL) a balance of over US$3.2 million needed to conduct the 10 October presidential and legislative elections.
To date, the GoL has released to the NEC, a little over US$49 million, which represents 80 percent of a US$53 million budget submitted by the Commission as funding needed for the conduct of next month’s elections.
However, a balance of over US$3.2 million intended for the conduct of an imminent presidential run-off election is yet to be released by the GoL to the NEC.
National Elections Commission Chairperson Browne-Lansannah at a press briefing today, made the disclosure but indicated that the Commission was working with the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning regarding the release of the balance of the elections-funding.
Meanwhile, the NEC through its chairperson Browne-Lansanah, has announced that the Voter Check platform, vc.necliberia.org designed for an individual voter to check his/ her personal voting information was published on NEC’s website since 11 August 2023.
Browne-Lansanah encouraged registered voters wishing to access their information, to do so by visiting the platform, and entering their voter ID number and year of birth respectively.
Responding to a reporter’s question about threats from opposition politician Abe Darius Dillon regarding leading a protest at the Headquarters of the NEC, for the Commission’s alleged breach of the law, by failing to have published the Final Registration Roll (FRR) 30 days prior to polls opening on 10 October, Browne- Lansanah, who stated that she’s not aware of the existence of such law, retorted that the NEC will not be threatened by anyone.
“Firstly, I do not know, and I stand to be corrected – any law that says the National Elections Commission should publish the FRR. I stand to be corrected. But at this point, this is what I know,” said Browne-Lansanha, adding; “Secondly, the Commission will not be threatened by anyone, to do anything that they want to do at the time they want to do it.”
She continued; “We will take no threat from anyone – and if you want to read my lips, I will say it again; we will take no threat from anyone.”
She assured Liberians that as has been with past elections when the NEC made available electronic copies of FRR, to political parties, independent candidates, and other stakeholders, the Final Registration Roll for the 2023 presidential and legislative elections will be made available to all concerned.
“The technical team of NEC is working to have the Biometric Voter Roll placed in a secured format, and same will be made available to all stakeholders as soon as possible,” stated Browne-Lansanah, who further disclosed that the Commission has a team of personnel working 24 hours on three ships to ensure the FRR is printed and pasted at each of the 2,080 voting precincts prior to Election Day.
“We have told the Liberian people that we are printing, we are also packaging – there is a process that has been going on recently, and these staff have three ships they are working on to accelerate the process so that we have these documents ready in time for the elections,” she maintained, stating that the NEC has had delays, but those delays are being taken care of.
