America’s assurance and the October elections

The United States Department of State recently announced in Washington, D.C. that the U.S. Government does not support any particular political party or candidate in Liberia for the October 10th elections.

U.S. Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Regional Affairs Mr. Robert K. Scott says instead, America supports a fair and transparent electoral process and stands ready to work with whoever is fairly elected as the next President in Liberia.

Speaking at a recent diplomatic reception at the Embassy of Liberia in Washington, D.C. to mark Liberia’s 170th Independence, Mr. Scott says the United States supports free, fair and peaceful elections here, so that all Liberian voters can freely elect their new leaders, according to a dispatch from the Liberian Embassy.

The assurance is not only timely, but important to dispel rumors and perceptions in some quarters in Liberia that America prefers or favors a particular candidate in the impending polls.

In fact, some parties and political leaders with serious leadership deficits would hide behind such erroneous perception to begin to plan mischief so as to disrupt the democratic process and cover their inadequacies for national leadership.

Politicians and candidates in these elections should be reminded in no uncertain terms that this is a free for all process, and that there is no specific candidate with a civil spoon.

This means that parties and their leaders should have prepared adequately long before now, to go to electorate and seek their votes as is normally required in any democratic process rather than becoming crybabies.

Some party leaders have already begun to claim victory even when the polls are one month and weeks away. Montserrado County district#10 representative candidate and Congress for Democratic Change Vice Chair for Operations and Mobilization, Mulbah Morlu, vows that the CDC now part of a three-party coalition will win the polls.

“We’re over confident that these elections are for us. Ambassador Weah will win the presidency on a one round victory. The indicators are cleared. Let me be on record for this, if Weah did not win, I shall be crucified or stoned to death by Liberians,” he vows here in a news conference on Friday, 4 August at the CDC headquarters in Monrovia.

Expression of such high degree of certainty in a crowded presidential race, gives the false impression that other competitors are sleeping and one could have an easy ride to the Executive Mansion, but this may be far from reality. This is why we encourage all parties and candidates to put up a strong fight at the ballot box rather than subjecting overzealous partisans and supporters to daydream that would keep them unprepared to accept reality when the results begin to emerge.