Liberians not yet done with Democratic Duty: Preliminary Results Yield Run-off

According to the preliminary results released by NEC (National Election Commission), Liberians will be heading to the polls once again on November 8, 2011 to determine who will lead the country for the next five years.

Many Liberians are not surprised by the announcement that this first round of elections has resulted in a run-off; with 16 presidential candidates and the need to win 50% plus one vote it seemed unlikely from the start that any candidate would achieve this number during the initial race.

For some Liberians there is a sense of déjà vu, with the 2005 elections also resulted in a run-off with then presidential candidate George Weah of the CDC (Congress for Democratic Change) leading the first round and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of the UP (Unity Party) coming in at a close second. However, in 2005 in the second round Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and the UP were able to make significant gains during the two weeks of campaigning prior to the run-off and she came back to top George Weah in the final race.

For the 2011 election, incumbent Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has been up against a new CDC presidential candidate Winston A.Tubman and she has lead the first round with 44% of the vote. If anything has been learned from the 2005 process, it’s that going into the second round of campaigning, scheduled to start on October 26^th it is really any candidates’ game.

The important thing for all political parties and candidates to remember during the run-off is that regardless of how eager they are to secure the position of head of state, they must put the country and Liberians first and continue to engage in peaceful, respectful and fare campaigning. The ECC (Election Coordinating Committee) will continue to monitor the electoral process and encourage all stakeholders to respect the outcomes of the elections and the will of the Liberian people. Today they issued a press release that stated:

During this critical period of the electoral process, the ECC urges all political parties and candidates to maintain the peace, and wait for NEC to release the final results. Any grievances thereafter should be addressed according to law and through the NEC as the initial course of redress. In the interim, they should refrain from making public statements that could incite violence and undermine the credibility of the elections that have been effectively administered thus far.

Like in any country during a time of heated political campaigning, candidates and political party supporter will likely have the strong temptation to engage in some political mud slinging. Nevertheless, it is important to remember that in a country still working to build civil societies confidence in the democratic process, they must take real caution to heed the advice of the ECC and refrain from engaging in any activities that may “undermine the entire electoral process and the gains made thus far in strengthening democracy and maintaining peace and stability in Liberia”.