Presidential Runoff Election in Liberia: Head of the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission, Prof. Attahiru Jega meets with ECOWAS observers and stakeholders of the electoral process.

Prof. Attahiru Jega, Head of the ECOWAS Electoral Observation Mission (EOM), who arrived in Monrovia, Liberia on Thursday 9 November 2023, met with some actors and stakeholders involved in the Presidential Runoff Election. The election is scheduled to hold on Tuesday 14 November 2023.

On Friday, November 10, 2023, Prof. Attahiru Jega met successively with Mr. Frank Musa Dean Jr, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Liberia, Mrs. Davidetta Browne-Lansanah, President of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), some civil society actors and the ECOWAS Technical Team.

In his meetings with these actors, Prof Attahiru Jega discussed on the preparation towards the polls and challenges for a peaceful, free, transparent and credible electoral process.

In the morning of Saturday, November 11, 2023, Prof. Attahiru Jega met with ECOWAS Short-Term Observers in the presence of Dr. Abdel-Fatau Musah, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Mr. Abdou Kolley, Director of the Cabinet of the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Ambassador Josephine NKRUMAH, ECOWAS Resident Representative in Liberia, members of ECOWAS Parliament, member of the ECOWAS Permanent Representative Committee and member of the ECOWAS Council of Wise.

Addressing the ECOWAS observers, Prof Attahiru Jega urged them to carry out their tasks within the confines of the extant electoral legal frameworks and accordance with international standards. He also urged them to avoid interfering in the electoral process and to use the skills and tools acquire through their training. Finally, he asked them to make possible recommendations to improve the electoral process and the ECOWAS election observation mission.

Ambassador Josephine NKRUMAH, while addressing the observers earlier, described the current political and electoral context under which the polls will be held. She also gave a background on the electoral campaign atmosphere ahead of the polls. She further briefed the observers on the NEC’s deployment plan of electoral materials and security arrangement for forces on the ground.

Dr Abdel-Fatau Musah, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security of ECOWAS, expressed satisfaction with the high profile of ECOWAS Electoral Mission observers. While enjoining them to be objective and impartial in the course of the Mission, he urged the observers  to submit timely report from their observation in the field to enrich the overall report of the Mission.