Run-Off Elections in Liberia

Ballot for the Run-off Elections in Liberia

Dedication to Democracy – Liberians Take to the Polls

Search for Common Ground has published my article about my experience as an ECC election observer here.

Dedication to Democracy

A woman outside of a polling station shows me her voting registration card

What I witnessed yesterday here in Liberia can only be recorded in history as nothing short of true dedication to the democratic process. The morning sky was covered with large grey rain clouds, but the mood in Monrovia was bright; people where enthusiastically queuing up outside of polling stations hours before they were scheduled to open at 8:00am in anticipation. I got to the Ushahidi office at 7:30am where the ECC (Election Coordinating Committee) data collection staff had started to arrive. The ECC had trained 20 observers on a data collection program that was designed to take calls about any critical incidences witness by the 2000 ECC monitors in the field.

A woman shows me her inked finger after she has cast her ballot

We arrived at the first polling station just as the rain started to become heavy, though the weather did not damper the spirit of the Liberian people. We were greeted with big smiles and people flashing us their voter registration cards. Inside, the polling staff was hard at work ensuring that each voter could easily follow the steps and successfully cast their ballot. Accommodations were made to ensure that people with disabilities, the elderly, pregnant women and women with small children could easily vote without having to wait in the long queues. I witnessed a 82 year old blind woman, assisted by a family member she trusted casting her vote, she smiled as she came out from behind the polling box proud to be doing her civic duty.

Women with small children were escorted to the front of the line to cast their votes

We reconvened at the Ushahidi office around noon to see if our experience of calm, peaceful and professional polling centres different in other areas of the country. The ECC data entry staff were happy to report that the phone lines had remained quiet all morning, except for the reports they had received from the field, which confirmed that the mood we had experienced here in Monrovia was being echoed across the nation.

A polling attendant checks the final voter registration before issuing the man his ballots

As the heavy rain lifted, we continued roaming around the city, stopping in at various polling stations to ensure that the process was still running smoothly. Each polling place we visited the rooms were filled with political party observers, security personal, polling staff, international observers and a monitor from the ECC. While the long day continued, people started to look tired, but their patience and dedication to overseeing the process did not waiver. As the light started to fade and the last few ballots were cast, a quiet calm came over the city, except at the polling stations, which remained hives of activity. Each polling station was responsible for verifying the number of ballots that had been cast for the presidential, senatorial and representative candidates. The process was slow and tedious, as all observers present needed to verify each marked ballot, but everyone was respectful and persistent that the process be carried out in a very careful and proficient manner. Long after I had retired for the evening, dedicated Liberians all across the country worked up until 6:00am this morning checking and rechecking each precious vote.

All parties worked late into the evening verifying and reconciling the votes

The preliminary results will not be announce by the NEC until Thursday however, my feeling is that regardless of who is elected, Liberians everywhere should know that as a country they have won something greater than the candidates that will represent them for the next five years. They have all won the right to feel proud that they live in a country where every citizen has the right to participate in an electoral process that is free, transparent and peaceful.

A Peaceful but Strong Reminder

Yesterday was an extremely important and historic day for Liberia, specifically for Liberian women. Not only did two Liberian women win the Nobel Peace Prize but it is particularly significant in a context where women (and not just the two women who were award this prize) are continuing to fight day in and day out to ensure that the small gains that have been made, here in Liberia are not lost to conflict. They continue to fight so that there daughters and sons can look forward to a future where they have access to education, good health care and free and equal participation in all aspects of society, including politics.

If you are interested in learning more about the contributions of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Leymah Gbowee, please click to see their profiles that my current roommate, Tamasin Ford wrote yesterday in Monrovia, after the announcement of their win.

In addition the Guardian did a great Editorial: Nobel peace prize: arms and the woman

I hope yesterday can serve as a reminder to women and men all over the world, that we cannot cultivate free, peaceful and healthy societies without the equal and active participation of women and men in all aspects of life.

Liberia…Da my *current area

Most of you who are taking the time out of your very busy lives to read this blog are likely already aware they I am currently in Monrovia, Liberia doing an internship with Search for Common Ground.

For those of you who I did not have the opportunity to see or communicate with these past few months during my brief sojourn to Canada here is a quick rundown:

What: A 3 Month internship with Search for Common Ground

Who: Search for Common Ground is an international conflict transformation and peace building NGO seeking to transform adversarial conflict into cooperative action.

Where: Liberia. Not to be confused with the Liberia in Costa Rica (easy to make that mistake, especially since I was just living in C.R), we are taking about West Africa here neighbours with Cote D’Ivoire, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

And why does that sound so familiar…You have probably heard the name Charles Taylor, currently on trail at the Hague for crimes against humanity (ironically enough he is being charged with crimes committed in Sierra Leone although he made time for committing his fair share of atrocities here in his home land).

Why: This past year I was in Costa Rica doing a Masters in Gender and Peace Building from the United Nations Mandated University for Peace. Although, I learned a tremendous amount from this experience I did not want to complete my Masters without having experienced first hand what post conflict rebuilding looks like in action.

What else… Liberia is about to hold its second democratic elections since the signing of the peace accord back in 2003, on October 11, 2011. 2005 marked the first round of elections, when the first women head of state was elected in Africa. Incumbent Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is currently running for her second term.

Want the Coles notes version of Liberia’s extremely complex and tumultuous history, might I suggest Google and Wikipedia. Not satisfied with the Coles notes? Here are a few good reads:

This Child Will Be Great LP: Memoir of a Remarkable Life by Africa's First Woman President
Author: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

The House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood
Author: Helene Cooper

Pray the Devil Back to Hell (2008 Film)
Director: Gini Reticker
Oh and why is this blog entitled 213 – Da my area? Well for those of you who are interested in contacting me while I am here 213 is the area code for Liberia.

Da my area…it will all start to make sense in the upcoming posts.

As a small aside – I apologize if some of the posts I make are delayed from the time of writing, the internet situation here is precarious at best!