Liberian 2023 Election Campaign Finance Public Disclosure

By J. Patrick Flomo

Election Campaign Finance Public Disclosure is a fundamental element for assuring and maintaining election integrity and is the desideratum of the people to have faith in their government.

Elections are the centerpiece of a democratic system because they are a means of allowing the people to control their government with their votes.  However, democracy is in danger when the power to hold elected officials accountable is skewed in favor of a few with a lot of money, especially when the few are not disclosed. 

According to Chapter 7: Election Campaign Expenses; Section 7.7: Reports of Contributions and Expenses, of the 1986 Elections Laws of Liberia mandates that the National Elections Commission makes public all campaign expenses, including sources of funding after each electoral cycle.  It has been 60 days and counting since the 2023 general elections took place; NEC has yet to make public the cost of the 2023 elections expenses.

In addition to Chapter 7, Section 7.7 of the 1986 Elections Laws, this article on this topic was prompted by the EU’s claim that the CDC Party used government revenues to finance its campaign. Moreover, it is rumored that in addition to government material resources, $50M was used to finance the CDC campaign. In addition, certain Liberians made allegations that the Unity Party campaign was funded by certain foreign entities (aside from Liberians in the Diaspora). In the event that these assertions prove to be true, then they constitute an existential threat to our democratic system.   Therefore, the NEC is required (and by law) to provide answers to the public so that conspiracy theories can be avoided.  There is therefore an urgent need for an official (NEC) compendium of all candidates’ campaign expenditures in the 2023 elections to be made available to universities, newspapers, social media, and other political institutions.

In a knife-edge decision on Tuesday, November 14, 2023, The PEOPLE of the Republic of Liberia, in the runoff presidential election, took the Republic’s baton of power from CDC and entrusted it to the Unity Party. This was exercised in a free, fair, and nonviolent election. Currently, the election is considered the most elegant democratic election in 2023 in the West African region. The crown jewel of this election was George Weah’s (the incumbent president) decision to concede the election before the final results were announced; a very rare event in African elections.

This is the fifth presidential election since the Liberian civil war ended. Thus, it is now engraved in the country’s history books.  In anticipation of the inauguration of the new president-elect, Joseph Boakai, there is one salient question that Liberians yearn to be answered — that is the campaign finance disclosure.   In order for us to have a full picture of the campaign financing in the 2023 elections, the National Election Commission (NEC) must provide a compendium report on all political parties, including the runoff presidential election. I think the public has a right to know. 

With the incumbent conceding before the election result was promulgated, there is no question about ballot fraud or election rigging. But the second most pertinent question is that of the integrity of the election. I think this should be the paramount concern of all people.  Since money is the prodigiously spent lifeblood of political campaigns, the people have the right to know the full sources of campaign funding in order to determine the election’s integrity, which is vital to the legitimacy of the government-elect.

The 2023 presidential and legislative elections have brought the Unity Party back to power for the third time in 18 years. The first two terms of Unity Party hegemony in Liberia began with Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf as the standard-bearer. According to her, corruption in the Liberian government is the equivalent of being a vampire, a blood vacuum that sucks the country’s resources to quench the elite’s sybaritic lifestyle while the masses live in abject poverty.

 On Saturday, January 20, 2024, the Unity Party will take the helm of power for the third time with Joseph Boakai as the standard-bearer.  Having described the Liberian government corruption as “cancerous,” Boakai has said that corruption has hamstrung the nation in its attempts to modernize. He has vowed to fight corruption as the top priority of his administration. Well, as of January 3, 2024, Boakai will have the power of government to do just that — even though the previous three governments (two of the Unity Party, of which Boakai was Vice President, and one of CDC) had the power but did not do: namely, to order the National Election Commission to make public information regarding election campaign funding. I think FULL CAMPAIGN FINANCE DISCLOSURE is the key step in surgically removing corruption in government.

A further benefit of this instrument or change is the dispelling of any conspiracy theories about the government-elect being beholden to a special interest group.  Henceforth, before he takes office, we call on Boakai to join the Liberian people in asking for the FULL PUBLIC DISCLOSURE OF THE 2023 ELECTION CAMPAIGN FINANCE.  NEC is obligated by Elections Laws: Chapter 7: Election Campaign Expenses, Section 7.9 Reports Published by the Commission:  The reports of the expenses and contributions for an election campaign submitted under Section 7.7 shall be published by the Commission.

The 2023 general elections (presidential and legislative) are 60 days in the past, and counting.  It has been 30 days since the presidential runoff elections were held, and yet WE THE PEOPLE still have not received a preliminary expense report from the National Elections Commission regarding them.  In democratic elections, campaign finance reports have become one of the most important instruments for controlling the level of corruption and ensuring fair elections. 

It is imperative that the report be submitted in order to ensure the integrity of the elections.  Additionally, if the report reveals that government resources were used by the CDC and that the other political parties had questionable funding sources, then they can be brought to justice for violating the election laws.

The prospect of such prosecutions will act as a deterrent to future electoral flaws of corruption of our electoral system and elevate the sophistication of our electoral process.  In my opinion, the Liberian Newspaper Association should contact the National Election Commission (NEC) to request that this public information to be made available to the general public.  THE PEOPLE HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW!

In conclusion, democratic elections were built on the foundation of the competition of IDEAS.  Currently, this maxim does not hold; instead, MONEY, which is usually linked to dark alleys and underground sources, is the determinant factor of an election outcome. The disclosure of campaign finance after every election cycle is therefore a necessary part of safeguarding our democracy.