Mandela Washington Fellows-Liberia Special Statement on the protested October 10, 2017 Elections

The Mandela Washington Fellows-Liberia, a Flagship organization of the United States Government Young African Leadership Program wants to extend our appreciation to the peace-loving people of Liberia for turning out in their mass number to vote peacefully in the October 10, 2017, presidential and Representatives elections. Moreover, MWF-Liberia would also like to congratulate two political parties that made it to the second round of the presidential elections (the ruling Unity Party and the opposition Coalition for Democratic Change) waiting to participate in the unpromising runoff election.

Mandela Washington Fellows-Liberia recognizes and acknowledges the peaceful participation of all political parties, the Media, International Partners, Elections Observers, and the entire citizenry for their collaborative effort during the first round that brought about a peaceful and mass turnout. We also salute the tireless effort of Mandela Washington Fellows and YALI Regional Learning Center Alumni who were seen engaging young voters through strengthening their capacities in peacebuilding and informing them to vote in the Presidential and Representatives Elections. However, MWF-Liberia worries over the unfavorable political environment being created due to the delay in the investigation of the lawsuit filed by opposition and ruling unity parties and the recent statement by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf saying that the country economy is under stress.

The recent short speech by her Excellency President-Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf about our economy being under threats can be proven if only we continue to do things that can jeopardize the peaceful transition of power and the destabilization of our decade of peace and stability. The reports of frauds and irregularities as complained and reported by the opposition Liberty Party Leader, Cllr. Charles Walker Brumskine, the ruling Unity Party and other political parties against the National Elections Commissions of Liberia through a legal process is welcoming. Notwithstanding, we call on the political parties involved to abandon the lawsuit for the sake of continuous peace, economic growth and peaceful political co-existence and power transition.

As an independent and nonpartisan organization, we like to call on all political parties to remain steadfast and committed to supporting a peaceful political transition and discourage any act that has the propensity to support the unfavorable political transition. MWF-Liberia also wants to use this medium to call on supporters and partisans of political parties to remain dedicated to peaceful democratic transition as we prepare to go through the runoff presidential election between the ruling Unity party and the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC). MWF-Liberia wants to admonish the National Elections Commission to accelerate effort in adjudicating all electoral cases at the commission and ensuring that all reported cases of irregularities be corrected and measures put in place to prevent such during the runoff election.

As we go through these critical periods of our Democratic transition, we as Mandela Washington Fellows and citizens of Liberia, would like to call on the Opposition Liberty Party, Ruling Unity Party, National Government, the Supreme Court, the National Elections Commissions, United States Government, ECOWAS, the AU, the UN, EU and other bilateral partners to continue their peaceful intervention and collaborative efforts into these processes. We as Mandela Washington Fellows remain steadfast, objective, and committed to the goal of a peaceful transitional process.

MAY GOD ALMIGHTY CONTINUES TO BLESS LIBERIA!!