Home East Africa ECOWAS warns against premature announcement of Liberian election results

ECOWAS warns against premature announcement of Liberian election results

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The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) has warned the protagonists of the recent elections in Liberia against any premature proclamation of victory.  The multilateral body warned that it would crack down on those responsible for the violence

The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) has warned the protagonists of the recent elections in Liberia against any premature proclamation of victory.  The multilateral body warned that it would crack down on those responsible for the violence.

Liberians voted on 10 October to choose the successor to their president, George Weah, who was the hot favorite for re-election. Simultaneously, there was the election for the new parliament. The peaceful and regular conduct of the process and the acceptance of the results are major challenges for these elections in a country. It may be recalled civil war in Liberia claimed more than 250,000 lives between 1989 and 2003. As reported by www.trendanfrica.com, news is floating around that an opposition candidate is leading the race in the presidential election. ECOWAS’s recent statement may be to scotch such premature announcement of results. So far, www.trendsnafrica.com cannot vouch for the authenticity of that news.

The votes are currently being counted. The Ecowas Commission has been informed that certain actors are attempting to declare themselves victorious prematurely or to exert undue pressure on the National Electoral Commission (NEC).  Ecowas congratulated the Liberians on the “peaceful” conduct of the voting. It called on them to continue to exercise maximum restraint while awaiting the provisional official results from the NEC.

Read Also:

https://trendsnafrica.com/liberia-elections-early-results-trending-against-the-incumbent/

https://trendsnafrica.com/liberia-goes-to-poll-today-to-elect-a-new-president-and-legislative-council/

Ecowas urged all Liberian actors to comply with the democratic principles of a peaceful and credible electoral process. It “warns all actors, including political leaders, the National Elections Commission, and the Liberian security services, that Ecowas, the AU (African Union) and the international community will hold them accountable for any actions that result in violence and instability. A second round of presidential elections is likely to take place in early November. Ecowas, an organization of 15 West African countries, has been facing a series of political crises since 2020, including military coups in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Niger.