Liberia’s Senatorial & By-Law Elections: Underling Issues of Coronavirus Violations, Referendum Confusion, & “Huge Crowd”-Mindset Shock Liberia’s Senatorial & By-Law Elections: Underling Issues of Coronavirus Violations, Referendum Confusion, & “Huge Crowd”-Mindset Shock
COVID-19 Violation (No Mask): NEC’s Polling Officer & Voters on queue
NOTE: On coverage of the elections, my movements were restricted to Monrovia due to financial constraint. I guess the issues provided on Montserrado County were similar to happenings in the other fourteen Counties of Liberia.
This article ends with recommendations solution methods of upholding global pandemic rules, getting the general citizenry to “cooperate with National Referendum”, and how to prevent a crowd-mentality shock
In my opinion, I believe that the hatred of Mr. Sandy has clouded the minds of some Sierra Leoneans who are constantly engaged in drawing negative attention towards him. Mr. Sandy is a patriotic Sierra Leonean who has earned the TRUST AND RESPECT of the president and nothing will change that reality. He is an educated man and a former professor of the University of Sierra Leone who has played an important role towards educating our citizens. He is not an uneducated APC thug or thief that has been involved in any form of corruption in politics as member of PMDC or APC and currently the SLPP. The SLPP party chose him as an election supervisor during this election in constituency 110, just like the APC choice of the minority leader Chernoh Maju Bah as a supervisor during this same election.
CHRAJ s interim report on the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections
Fellow Countrymen, International and Domestic Observers, as you are all aware, our country held its Eighth Presidential and Parliamentary Elections since returning to Constitutional rule in 1992 on Monday, 7th December 2020.
The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice deployed 279 observers on December 7, 2020, made up of 41 Roaming and 238 Non-Roaming Observers.
Roaming Observers had oversight of a number of identified hotspots. Non-Roaming Observers, on the other hand, were stationed at Polling Centres where they observed proceedings at those Polling Centres from the commencement of polls to the counting of votes at those Centres.
CHRAJ describes December 7 polls as free, fair It said the infractions on citizens’ right to vote, especially vulnerable persons, were minimal. Mr Joseph A. Whittal, the Commissioner, said this on Thursday as part of the International Human Rights Day celebration, marked annually. This was from a report conducted by CHRAJ at places described as election hotspots. “The main objective for undertaking the exercise is to enhance inclusiveness in the promotion and protection of citizens’ right to vote with particular focus on groups or persons in vulnerable situations,” he said. The CHRAJ Boss said almost all the polling centres observed by the Commission provided special assistance to the elderly, pregnant, persons carrying babies and Persons with Disability to vote without having to wait in queues.
Only a few polling stations did not assist elderly, pregnant persons to vote - CHRAJ
The Commission for Human Rights and Administration Justice (CHRAJ) has highlighted that it noted only a few polling stations which failed to assist elderly and pregnant persons to cast their ballots in the just ended 2020 elections.
According to CHRAJ’s interim report on the elections, almost all polling stations it observed, witnessed EC officials providing special assistance to the elderly, pregnant, persons carrying babies and Persons with Disability to vote without having to wait in long queues.
In a statement issued and signed by CHRAJ’s Commissioner, Joseph Whittal, noted, “At the Kaare Polling Centres (R080703) in the Talensi District of the Upper East Region, three elderly women aged over 65 years were not accorded the preference to vote. The CHRAJ observer prompted the electoral officer who subsequently allowed them to vote without queuing.”