-Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf Reminds NEC, Liberians
MONROVIA: As the campaign for the October 10, 2023 elections gets in full-swing, Liberia’s former President, and Nobel Prize Laureate, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, says the National Elections Commission (NEC) has the full responsibility to ensure that Liberians vote for their preferred candidates in both the Presidential and Legislative Elections.
Madam Johnson-Sirleaf made the statement on Friday, August 4, 2023, at a peace forum for Liberian women organized by the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa (GPFA), held at the EJS Ministerial Complex in Congo Town, near Monrovia.
“We want our National Elections Commission to know that there are many women on that Commission, but we want men and women on the Commission to know that they have a sacred duty to our country and its people, to make sure that the process enables everybody to have freedom of choice,” she said.
The former Liberian President added: “We want to see a process that is free and fair, that is what our Constitution calls for. We want everybody to feel saved to go to the polls and cast their ballots in accordance with their hearts and consciences.”
Madam Johnson-Sirleaf wants things to change. She emphasized that Liberian women want to see a country wherein their children can grow up with the purpose of seeking education in a saved environment, coupled with quality schools and a good neighborhood.
The first female President stressed that women had always been an integral part of nation-building in Liberia.
“Throughout our history, women have made a difference. Whether in my trial, the women who stood for me through signatures, whether when the war was raging and Leymah was able to bring women together to make sure that the Accra Peace Accord would succeed, whether it was time where the judges could stand up for us, there were always women,” Madam Johnson-Sirleaf said.
The former Liberian Leader also called out for peace during and after the elections. “Now, we are approaching a very important event, an event to choose our leaders, it is the constitutional duty that each of us has, the responsibility, because it is that choice, we are all going to live with.
She added: “Based on peace, based on civility, we will be able to respect each other, be able to talk without getting into those things that lead to differences, those things that lead to unfair expressions, and those things that lead to tension in the society.”
“It is a collective effort, a genuine effort for women to know what the process is, to encourage each other to do the right things and to call upon our leaders, and our institutions to abide by the Constitution and do the right things,” Madam President added.
