The Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa International Election Observation Mission (EISA-IEOM) has announced arrival of its 18 short-term observers to monitor the November 14, 2023 presidential run-off election in Liberia.
The mission is headed by His Excellency Dr. Nevers Mumba, former Vice President of the Republic of Zambia, deputized by EISA Executive Director, Baidessou Soukolgue, and supported by a technical team of nine experts.
These short-term observers, together with 12 long-term observers, which deployed since April and July 2023, observed the first round of voting in eleven of Liberia’s fifteen counties in October 2023. These counties are Bomi, Bong, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Montserrado, Margibi, Lofa, Nimba, Maryland, and River Gee.
The thirty EISA observers will observe the campaigns, final deployment of voting materials, the voting day procedures, including the opening and closing of polls, the counting processes at polling stations and result management processes in the respective counties.
EISA’s assessment of the election in Liberia is consistent with the legal framework in the country and regional and international standards for elections and democracy.
These frameworks include the Constitution of Liberia, the Election Law of Liberia, the African Charter on Democracy, Elections, and Governance, and the Declaration on the Principles Governing Democratic Elections in Africa.
The EISA-IEOM will issue an interim statement on its preliminary findings at a press conference on November 16, 2023, and a final report will then be prepared and shared with relevant stakeholders and made publicly available.
The short-term mission will remain in Monrovia until November 18, 2023. Its secretariat is located at the Cape Hotel, Monrovia.
The USAID-funded EISA International Election Observation Mission (EISA-IEOM) activity seeks to enhance the integrity of the 2023 Liberia presidential and legislative elections through the deployment of an independent international election observer mission (EOM) to monitor, assess and report on all phases of the electoral process by international and regional benchmarks.
The IEOM is implemented in close coordination with the financial support of USAID-Liberia, and will complement the efforts of other electoral stakeholders.