The West Africa Democracy Solidarity Network (WADEMOS) and the West Africa Election Observers Network (WAEON), in a joint engagement, have charged the various stakeholders involved in the electoral process to commit to their roles, and outlined comprehensive recommendations, to allow for the smooth operation of activities scheduled for before, during and post the December polls.
In a Joint statement read on behalf of the networks, the Chairperson for WAEON and national Coordinator of National Election Watch of Sierra Leone, Rev. James Lahai, among other recommendations, urged the EC to hasten the release of the voter register.
This comes after about 704,360 new voters were added to the voter register, thus inflating the number of voters to about 18 million voters. However, the Commission resolved to make available the revised PVR within two weeks after the Inter-Party Advisory Committee meeting.
According to the network, “The Electoral Commission should ensure the comprehensive and final voter register is provided to political parties as soon as possible to allow political parties to plan their activities around it accordingly. It should coordinate effective stakeholders’ engagements before, during and post-election to strengthen confidence in the electoral system and specifically the trust in the electoral management body.”
It further called on the EC to collaborate with the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), the National Peace Council (NPC) and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), to proliferate public education centred on voting.
Political Parties:
WADEMOS/WAEON entreated political parties to train party and polling agents on ethical voting practices and avoid arraying unlawful groups in electoral activities. It further cautioned against wasteful spending in efforts to garner the votes of electorates.
Peace Pact:
The network further entreated stakeholders to sign the peace pact, a call championed by the National Peace Council. The agreement seeks to bind the parties involved, to resolve to legal means of seeking a solution other than violence.
Speaking at the Conference, the Programme Manager for the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) and Network Coordinator for WADEMOS, Paul Osei Kuffour underscored the “heightened tension” which may occur at voting stations. Stemming from this, he advocated for political parties to sign the peace declaration.
“Some of the parties have made a declaration that they would want to stick to the administrative processes, but we know there are limitations to these administrative processes. If you feel unsatisfied, the issue must be escalated, and the next available venue may be the court.
“The peace pact places a moral obligation on all the stakeholders. I will conclude by asking the media to begin to repurpose your media conversation and discussions about the peace pact so that we can encourage and appeal to the political parties.”
He further acknowledged the demands of the NDC and recognised the need to agree.
The Media
The networks urged journalists to uphold the tenets of the profession abstain from spreading unverified reports and promote “a balanced reporting of electoral campaigns.”
It further charged the various security services to commit to their constitutional role and advised voters against being used as tools for spreading ‘misinformation and disinformation for political propaganda.”
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