The Women Non-Governmental Organization Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSOL) say they want Liberia’s democracy strengthened to ensure free and fair elections in 2023.
Speaking on behalf of the Executive Director of WONGOSOL, Esther Davis Yango, the Membership Coordinator of WONGOSOL, Munah Kieh, said Liberia has gone a long way in consolidating democracy, peace and stability since the end of the conflict in 2003.
Coordinator Kieh stated that in order to promote a secure setting to conduct peaceful electoral process the National Elections Commission (NEC) has a crucial role, among others, to support and promote structures that reduce tensions.
WONGOSOL Coordinator made the remarks Tuesday at a one-day roundtable discussion about the roles and responsibilities of journalists/media and law enforcement during electoral periods, held in Monrovia.
She emphasized that the key part of this role is to invest in strengthening the long-term oversight role of the civil society to enhance accountability of Liberia’s democratic institutions to the people.
According to her, the Liberia National Police (LNP) and the media plays a vital role in the electoral process to prevent and address instances of electoral violence.
Coordinator Kieh maintained that building upon the good work done by the LNP in past elections, collaboration with relevant partners will continue strengthening the capacity of LNP and the media to protect human rights during the electoral process, especially human rights of women, people with disability and other vulnerable groups to secure the upcoming election.
She asserted that for this effort to be successful, there is the need to consolidate under the NEC leadership through the provision and enforcement of harmonized regulatory requirements, such as the standard operating procedure, coordination and strengthening of early warning platforms.
Coordinator Kieh pointed out that the establishment of the inter-agency coordination mechanism remains important not only for sharing information and partnership but also for enhancing credibility of the electoral process.
She cited the importance of improving the national security coordination mechanism and strengthening synergies between various violence prevention platforms to enhance the ability of relevant stakeholders to analyze and respond to violent incidents in an informed and constructive manner.