The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Electoral Support Project in Liberia has pledged its continued support to the National Elections Commission (NEC) to ensure that the work of the Commission is successful and sustained.
Making the pronouncement in the James M. Fromayan Conference Hall, the Head of the UNDP Electoral Support Project, Lenka Homolkova, said the UNDP and partners will continue to support the NEC, mainly in the area of capacity building.
She said, given the current challenges facing the NEC, including the lack of resources, the adjudication of cases before the Supreme Court of Liberia and the current wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the UNDP, with support from partners, will do all it can to ensure that the Commission becomes truly sustained even in the absence of donor support.
Homolkova said, to advance this support, the UNDP has secured the purchasing of brand new lop tops to arrive in the country on November 18, 2020 for onward distribution to the 19 election magistrates of the National Elections Commission (NEC).
The UNDP Electoral Support Project Head spoke on Tuesday, November 17, 2020 at the close of the two-day Elections Adjudication Cases, conducted by the Independent Dispute Hearing Office of the NEC in collaboration with the UNDP, with support from the Germen government.
Speaking also, Commissioner Barsee Leo Kpangbai challenged the 19 Election Magistrates to give Liberia the best gift they can by conducting what he called “a good election”. He observed that anything on the contrary would lead to chaos.
Commissioner Kpangbai said, to do this, the 19 election magistrates must always consult, study and see their Election Manual as their guard to make adequate references to the adjudication of election matters and related complaints as they come about during and after the conduct of elections.
The NEC Commissioner with oversight on Civic and Voter Education (CVE) commended the legal team of NEC, through the Chief Dispute Hearing Officer, Cllr. Muana Ville, and the UNDP Electoral Support Project in Liberia for the level of support to the Commission.