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Backgrounder on the elections in Liberia
Timeframe Role of the Independent Elections
Commission UNOMIL Electoral Mandate Preparations for the Observer Mission's observation of
the elections are on schedule. Medium-term UNOMIL electoral observers
have been deployed to all of Liberia's 13 counties. These medium-term
observer teams have followed the voter registration process and are observing
the political campaign and preparations for elections being undertaken
by the electoral authorities in the field. In addition, the Observer Mission
has begun to deploy 200 international observers to observe the election
itself. These short-term electoral observers will be recruited from among
existing UNOMIL and United Nations staff members, as well as from Member
States and regional organizations to observe the polling and counting
of votes. UNOMIL's observer teams also work with IECOM and other international
and national observer groups to ensure that there will be efficient coordination.
To ensure that technical electoral issues are addressed
in a timely fashion, UNOMIL and ECOWAS have established a Joint Coordination
mechanism to perform the following tasks: 1) to ensure that all operational
requirements are met and that the process itself remains operationally
on track; 2) coordinating the deployment, logistics, and security arrangements
for international observers; 3) identifying gaps and needs in the electoral
process; and 4) jointly certifying whether the election is free and fair.
Technical Assistance In addition to its existing mandate to observe and verify
the electoral process, UNOMIL is also providing support to Liberia's Independent
Elections Commission in the logistical planning stages and continues to
coordinate closely with ECOWAS and the major donors in assisting in the
harmonization of electoral preparations. UNOMIL's helicopters and vehicles
are being shared with the Elections Commission to facilitate movement
of personnel in the field. The Public Information Unit of UNOMIL is helping
to provide civic information on registration and voting to the Liberian
electorate.
Parameters for verification "The first is the creation of a level playing field for
the conduct of free and fair elections and the second is the efficiency
and credibility of the organization and conduct of the elections by the
Independent Elections Commission. UNOMIL's assessment of the electoral
process will be based on the following parameters:
"(a) Factors determining a free and fair electoral environment
include continued security to facilitate freedom of movement and freedom
from intimidation; the secrecy of the ballot; access by all political
parties to the media, in particular to radio time; the credibility of
the voter education campaign; the extent to which political parties are
able to campaign in all areas; and freedom for people to join or refuse
to join political parties;
"(b) Operational benchmarks defining the work of the Independent
Elections Commission include the timely setting up of functional regional
offices; the timely procurement and delivery of the necessary materials;
the timely and successful completion of voter registration; the establishment
of sufficient numbers of polling sites, properly distributed to ensure
adequate coverage of the voting population; the security of the ballot
boxes and other sensitive materials; and the accuracy of the count."
Election facts:
LIST OF PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES
AND THEIR PARTIES FOR THE ELECTIONS IN LIBERIA
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