President George Manneh Weah has told the 78th UN General Assembly that the Liberian Government has taken all necessary measures to ensure free, fair, transparent, peaceful, inclusive, and credible elections.
Addressing the Assembly in New York on Tuesday, 20 September 2023, Mr. Weah said Liberia’s National Elections Commission (NEC) has been strengthened to ensure that it operates without undue influence.
In addition, he said political parties have committed themselves to a nonviolent electoral process by signing the 2023 Farmington River Declaration, which obligates all actors in the elections to continue to promote peace.
“As a strong believer in democracy let me reiterate my call for the respect of constitutional governance and respect for the will of the people,” Mr. Weah said.
“While addressing the issue of elections and democracy, permit me to congratulate all democratically elected leaders around the world,” he continued.
He noted that in a few weeks, Liberians will go to the polls, in keeping with the Liberian Constitution, to vote in the scheduled Presidential and Legislative elections.
“The October polls will mark the fourth peaceful [presidential and legislative] elections in Liberia since the end of the civil war in 2003,” said Weah.
Last week President Weah cut short his presidential campaign and traveled to New York to participate in the ongoing deliberations at the UN General Assembly.
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He is seeking a second six-year term against 19 other opposition presidential candidates, among them former Liberian Vice President Amb. Joseph Nyumah Boakai, and former Coca-Cola executive Mr. Alexander B. Cummings, among others.
President Weah told the UN General Assembly that with the support of the United Nations, and that of the support of Liberia’s friends, the country has kept the democratic torch burning.
“We have maintained peace and security. We have protected human rights and the rights of the media to operate peacefully and freely,” he said.
“The Liberian people have enjoyed the full exercise of their constitutional rights. The country is well on course of consolidating its democratic credentials.”
President Weah indicated that the UN 78th session is taking place at a time when his country is preparing for the first elections since the withdrawal of the UN Peacekeeping mission from Liberia.
He noted that the October 10 elections are an opportunity to sustain the gains made in the reconstruction and development processes of Liberia.
Earlier in his address, President Weah extended sympathy to all nations experiencing loss of lives due to recent natural disasters.
He said they have convened at a time when the world is faced with many challenges, including security, social, economic, political, and natural disasters.
“We must exert our collective efforts to confront these challenges, with a view of resolving them in order to have a safer, secured, and prosperous future,” he said.
He suggested the need to continue to promote global solidarity and rebuild trust in accelerating progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He said the SDGs, by design, require bilateral and multilateral collaborations to achieve the results that are being sought.
President Weah indicated that there is a critical need to ensure that development assistance is aligned with SDG projects.
“That is why my delegation welcomes and supports the Secretary-General’s agenda of action to accelerate the implementation of existing agreements; including the Sustainable Development Goals, and to re-embrace global solidarity, and find new ways to work together for the common good of mankind.”
Touching on global security, President Weah noted that the world is also under threat from natural calamities, as seen with extreme climate conditions globally.
He said it is therefore a collective responsibility to urgently prioritize addressing the climate crisis as to reach a target of 64 percent reduction in carbon emissions.
According to him, there remains a need to prioritize support to countries, including Liberia that have the capacity to use its biodiversity, in building resilience against the changing climate.
