By Emmanuel wise Jipoh
Bomi County Senator Edwin Melvin Snowe has called on the Government of Liberia (GOL) to increase funding for election security to counter threats of electoral violence.
Mr. Snowe chairs the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliamentary Committees on Political Affairs, Peace, Security, and African Peer Review Mechanism.
His calls for budgetary increase for security come ahead of Liberia’s crucial presidential and legislative elections this October.
“When I saw the election Budget for Liberia, I didn’t see any component covering security,” Mr. Snowe said on a talk show Wednesday, 6 July 2023.
“So we need to invest in security as we proceed towards the election to counter threats of electoral violence,” he pleaded.
The Bomi Senator warned that the lack of adequate funding for security will leave the security of the election at increasing risk.
Senator Snow prodded the government to provide special training for the security apparatus to resolve election violence.
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During recent by-elections, Liberia witnessed a series of electoral violence.
On the other hand, Mr. Snowe has called on the National Elections Commission (NEC) to adopt an open media engagement to keep the public abreast with election-related activities.
He recommended that NEC develop a regular press briefing to avoid speculation on election matters.
He believes that this exercise will help the commission combat falsehood about the country’s electoral process.
