A member of Ghana’s delegation to the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah has urged members of the Liberian Electoral management board to act as neutral arbiters by engaging all political parties on a level playing field.
As the country prepares itself for its election in October 2023, the Ho West lawmaker is serving on the Community’s Parliament Legal and Human Right Committee and was part of an eight-member delegation selected by the Speaker to visit Liberia and assess the situation on early warning signals, and triggers of conflict ahead of campaigns towards the country’s October 2023 General Elections.
Upon arrival in Liberia, the team paid a courtesy call on the ECOWAS Resident Representative Ambassador, H.E Josephine Nkrumah and the directors of Liberian National Centre for Coordinating Early Warning and Response Mechanisms (NCCEWRM) to find out about any triggers before next year’s election.
The delegation also had a meeting with the Chief Justice and Supreme Court Justices of Liberia, Members of the Senate Committee on National Security and the leadership of the National Assembly of Liberia (President pro tempore of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives).
In the late hours of Thursday, October 26, 2022, the team paid a courtesy call on the Inspector General of Police of Liberia and later visited the Chair and Board Members of the National Elections Commission of Liberia.
The team also paid a courtesy call on the President of Liberia, H.E. George Weah and held discussions with him and his Vice President.
Speaking to the media after their closed-door meetings with these stakeholders, Mr. Bedzrah indicated that the team was in Liberia to ensure a sound environment for a peaceful General Election in 2023.
He added that the team held several meetings with stakeholders including the public and the political parties with standard bearers in Liberia as part of their efforts to ensure peaceful, free and fair elections next year.
He went on to advise the Electoral Commission that “the Election’s Management Boards should not be talking as politicians but to communicate with all stakeholders in order to win their trust”
Mr. Bedzra also urged the public and the political party leaders and the security agencies to cooperate with all relevant stakeholders to ensure a peaceful electoral process.
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