Liberian Polls: Prof. Jega Lead ECOWAS observation mission

Ex -Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission of Nigeria, Prof. Attahiru Jega, has been appointed to head the short-term ECOWAS Election Observation Mission for the Liberian presidential, senatorial and parliamentary elections fixed for Tuesday 10 October 2023.

Jega arrived in Monrovia, Liberia’s capital, on Monday, October 2, 2023, and was welcomed by Ambassador Josephine Nkrumah, the ECOWAS Resident Representative in Liberia, according to a statement released on Saturday by Princess Hamman-Obels, Executive Director of The Electoral Hub.

“During his stay, the Head of the ECOWAS EOM and his team will hold working sessions with various stakeholders, including the National Elections Commission, government, civil society organizations, the media, security agencies, as well as political parties and candidates,” she said.

The new President of Liberia, 15 Senators, and 73 members of the House of Representatives will be chosen by an estimated 2,471,617 voters out of the country’s population of 5.4 million.

The West African Organization has deployed a 95-member election observation mission, consisting of 80 short-term observers and 17 long-term observers, in accordance with the provisions of the Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance relating to the observation of elections and ECOWAS assistance.

The ECOWAS Council of the Wise, the ECOWAS Parliament, the Community Court of Justice, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Member States, electoral management organizations, and civil society organizations are among the organizations that make up the ECOWAS short-term observers.

The duty of the West African election observation mission stationed in Liberia is to keep an eye on all pre-election, election, and post-election stages of the election to make sure that it adheres to international best practices.