By Ken Afor
The West African regional bloc ECOWAS on Sunday threatened to crack down on those who incited violence and cautioned candidates in the recent elections in Liberia against making hasty declarations of victory.
On October 10, Liberians cast their votes for both the new parliament and the reelection of football legend George Weah of the Congress for Democratic Change, who was the clear favorite to win a second term as president against Joseph Boakai of the Unity Party.
The government and the election commission were commended by ECOWAS and the African Union (AU) for organizing a trouble-free poll that attracted a lot of voters and was enthusiastic.
The vote was the first since the peacekeeping mission in Liberia was terminated by the United Nations (UN) in 2018. The mission was established in the wake of two civil wars that claimed over 250,000 lives between 1989 and 2003.
The count of votes has begun, and the results will be revealed two weeks after the vote.
According to the regional bloc of which Liberia is a member, in statement on Sunday, “The attention of the ECOWAS Commission has been drawn to attempts by some Liberian stakeholders to declare premature victories or put undue pressure on the National Elections Commission (NEC).”
It further stated: “The Economic Community of West African States said it “appreciates and commends the people of Liberia for a peaceful voting process on Election Day”.
“It calls on them to continue to exercise maximum restraint as they wait for official provisional results from the NEC.”
It advised “all Liberian stakeholders to abide by the democratic tenets of a peaceful and credible electoral process”.
In a warning to election participants, including political leaders, the bloc said: “ECOWAS, the AU and the International Community will hold them accountable for any actions that may lead to violence and instability.”
A run-off will take place in early November if no candidate wins an absolute majority in the election.
Both Weah and Boakai were tested at the poll in 2017 and the football legend won the first round of the election with 38.4% of the vote.
In the second round, Weah was elected President of Liberia, winning a run-off against Vice President Joseph Boakai with more than 60% of the votes.
