The Political Affairs Section of the National Elections Commission (NEC) has ended a two-day political party poll-watching training of trainers (TOT) workshop for nearly 100 party agents of political parties and independent candidates, with the acknowledgement that the United Nations has spent nearly US$8 billion on the attainment and maintenance of peace in Liberia.
The two-day party agents’ TOT workshop was conducted in Ganta, Nimba County, in collaboration with the Peace Building Office in Liberia, with funding from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI), funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Making the pronouncement on Saturday, November 21, 2020, the head of the Peace Building Office in Liberia, Edward Mulbah, said this was why the peace building office attaches great importance to conducting regular free, fair and transparent elections in Liberia to sustain the current peace Liberia now enjoys.
Mulbah said the UN no more has such money to spend on Liberia and, as such, it is incumbent upon all Liberians, civil society groups, the religious community and political parties to do all within their power to ensure that the peace is maintained through a violent-free election come December 8, 2020.
Performing the official opening ceremony of the party agents’ TOT, Commissioner with oversight responsibility for Political Affairs, Boakai A. Dukuly, challenged the participants to always serve as ambassadors for peace, in actions against violent elections come on December 2020.
The UNDP Consultant, Mack Anthony, said the international body will continue to support Liberia to maintain peace through free, fair and transparent elections. In his words, “Liberia is the only country we have and we must therefore do all to keep it peaceful before, during and even after the 8 December 2020 Special Senatorial Elections, Constitutional Referendum and two representative by-elections in Montserrado and Sinoe counties.”
In a related development, the Gender Section of the National Elections Commission (NEC), with funds from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), over the weekend concluded a two-day workshop in Ganta City, Nimba County, for 34 members of the disabled community on how to use the Tactile Ballot to be used in the December 8, 2020 elections.