Second Leg regional consultations on Electoral Law Reform conducted

August 7, 2019

The regional events are aimed at promoting citizens participation in the electoral reform process, intended for legislative actions.

The National Elections Commission (NEC) with funding support from the UNDP Elections Basket Fund has conducted the second leg of a regional consultations on Electoral Law Reform in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County.

UNDP/Elections Project with funding from donor partners- European Union, Irish Aid, Canada and the Government of Sweden through its Embassy in Monrovia, supports the National Elections Commission rollout of a nationwide consultation to reform provisions of the Elections Law of Liberia.

At the two-day event August 5-6 in Buchanan, 161 participants representing a cross section of the Liberian society from Sinoe, Rivercess, Margibi and Grand Bassa Counties attended the consultation.

The overall objective of the Electoral Reform is to ultimately improve the administration of elections in Liberia.

The conduct of the 2017 Presidential and Legislative Elections is being used as a case study to further gauge the views of major stakeholders to derive prepositions and proposals that will strengthen the reform process.

Observations and recommendations are being solicited from citizens and major stakeholders across different spheres of the society to effect the reforms necessary to improve the process.

They include government entities, civil society organizations, youth and women groups, local government administrations, traditional leaders, people living with disability, faith based institutions, students, teachers, as well as national and international organizations.

The consultations follow the conclusion of an awareness campaign on the electoral reform process in June of this year and are designed to be an inclusive exercise that captures the views, observations and recommendations from mainly Liberians across the 15 political subdivisions of the Country.

The first regional consultation was held 23rd and 24th of July 2019, in Tubmanburg, Bomi County, with over 100 participants representing critical national stakeholders from Montserrado, Cape Mount, Bomi and Gbarpolu Counties.

The next consultative workshops are scheduled to be held in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County, and in Gbarnga, Bong County.