Press Statement for Immediate Release on the Voter Registration

The General Public, members of the Press, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen. Liberia Elections Observation Network (LEON) has several major concerns on the conduct of the voter registration exercise since it has not been of sufficient duration or had sufficient awareness to address the large numbers of people that need to register or move their registration. Long queues have worsened tensions and made COVID distances measures impossible. LEON has observed several incidents of trucking across the country sometimes accompanied by intimidation or vote-buying. A lack of adherence to voter identification procedures by registration staff had contributed to the possibility of out-of-area voters being registered. LEON is concerned about the loss of confidence in the registration update, and the behavior of some candidates in trying to defraud the system. LEON calls upon the NEC to thoroughly check all new registrants before they are added to the voter’s list and to redouble efforts to stop multiple voting on election day. We call upon all political contestants to adhere to the law and to stop committing fraudulent acts or incitement to violence.