Liberia: PASS Women Accountability Room Speaks Out on Run-off Elections, Other Trending Issues

The Project Accountable Safe Space Women's Accountability Room (PASSWAR) commends the National Elections Commission (NEC) for its steady progress on electoral preparedness and notes that NEC appears on track for delivering the runoff election currently ongoing today, November 14, 2023. We call on the Liberian joint security forces to protect polling precincts, ballot boxes in transit, and NEC tally centers to enable a safe and secure runoff election.

Furthermore, The Project Accountable Safe Space Women's Accountability Room (PASSWAR) congratulates Liberians for their satisfactory conduct leading to the run-off elections and commends the National Elections commission for ensuring the conduct of elections in Liberia, as enshrined in the country's Constitution of 1986.

The Project Accountable Safe Space Women's Accountability Room has commissioned 40 short term observers across the country as well as observers from partner organizations who are coordinating and providing expert services in other rooms. These observers are collating pieces of information and reporting in real-time to the PASS Women Accountability Room. The key focus of PASSWAR is documenting, reporting, and providing legal aid for instances of violence against women, especially grassroots women and marginalized groups in the run-off elections.

The Project Accountable Safe Space (PASS) Women's Accountability Room has documented the following reported acts of violence and potential threats to the integrity and credibility of the elections results, as well as advocating for non-violence and peace leading up to the presidential run-off election and calls on the Liberia National Police to investigate:

1. Reports of alleged acts of violence originating from Nimba and Grand Gedeh.

2. The huge influx of individuals from neighbouring countries as Liberia approached the presidential run-off elections.

3. Allegations made by the parties involved in the run-of elections that have the potential to compromise the credibility of election observers.

We urge all parties to call on their supporters involved in the forthcoming elections to refrain from engaging in activities that jeopardize the peace and tranquillity of Liberia and strictly abide by the law.

We further call on the public to:

1. Refrain from all forms of discrimination and acts of violence that limit women
participation.
2. Refrain from disseminating disinformation, distortions, and misinformation regarding election observers.

Additionally, PASSWAR urges the Liberia National Police and National Elections Commission to do the following:
1. Operate with openness and transparency to ensure the trust of the Liberian public,

2. Provide the Liberian public with updates regarding the progress of the investigation into the acts of violence that took place in Lofa County and on the Japanese Freeway in
Montserrado County, and

3. Act on recommendations shared with them from the first round of the National Legislative and Presidential Elections.

The PASSWAR urges Liberians to maintain peace and utilize their constitutional privilege to vote. PASSWAR has observers dispatched nationwide to monitor the voting accessibility of women, grassroots women, and underprivileged communities throughout the election.

Finally, PASSWAR sincerely commends its observers and other groups involved into elections monitoring for their efforts to ensure credibility in this year's polls. The Women Accountability Room is optimistic that all the sacrifices made for Liberia will not go unnoticed.

The Project Accountable Safe Space Women's Accountability Room (PASSWAR) is a consortium of grassroots women's organizations which include African Women Leaders Network (AWLN), Community Health Initiative (CHI), Kids Educational Engagement Project (KEEP), Organization for Women and Children (ORWOCH), Paramount Young Women Initiative (PAYOWI), Female Journalists Association of Liberia (FeJAL), Women NGOS Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSOL), Women of Positive Actions (WOPA), and Sister's Hand Liberia (SHL).