A Call for Compassion: Providing Financial Relief for Inmates Convicted of Misdemeanors
In a significant update on Liberia’s electoral preparations, the National Elections Commission (NEC) has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring the successful conduct of free, fair, and credible elections scheduled for October 10 2023.
This commitment was made by the Chairperson of the country’s electoral commission, Davidetta Browne-Lansanah as she announced that the commission had diligently dispatched electoral materials to 11 of the country’s 15 counties.
“These materials have been successfully delivered to counties including Sinoe, Maryland, River Gee, Grand Kru, River Cess, Grand Gedeh, Lofa, Nimba, Gbapolu, Grand Cape Mount, and Bong. Meanwhile, materials for Montserrado, Bomi, Grand Bassa, and Margibi are currently in the process of being packaged and will be dispatched shortly,” the NEC Chairperson reported.
She also informed the public that comprehensive training programs for temporary staff responsible for facilitating the elections were well underway.
“The training sessions have successfully equipped 79 Electoral District Coordinators, 382 Electoral Supervisors, 5,890 Presiding Officers, and 5,890 Voter Identification Officers with the necessary skills to ensure a smooth electoral process. Training for the remaining temporary staff will commence shortly, ensuring that all personnel are adequately prepared,” she said.
Regarding the accreditation of agents for political parties and independent candidates, Lansanah noted that the process was currently underway and urged political entities to visit the NEC Political Affairs Office to complete the accreditation procedure for their representatives.
Addressing a printing error that was discovered in Margibi County electoral district 1, Lansanah assured the public that corrective measures had been swiftly implemented. The error involved the mistaken placement of a political party’s initial under the logo of an independent candidate.
“The issue has been rectified and the corrected ballots, printed in Ghana, have been received,” she assured.
She went on to confirm that the total number of registrants on the Final Registration Roll remains unchanged at 2,471,617 eligible voters, emphasising that the preliminary figures released during the data processing phase underwent deduplication and adjudication, ultimately resulting in the final tally.
Madam Lansanah used the opportunity to express gratitude to the Ministry of Justice and the security apparatus for their unwavering commitment to providing security throughout the electoral process, ensuring a safe and stable environment for Liberia’s crucial elections.
FAO Strengthens Ties with Development Partners & GoSL
As part of lined activities marking his week-long working visit to Sierra Leone, FAO’s Sub-Regional Coordinator for West Africa and the Sahel region Dr Robert Guei Gouantoueu on Thursday 28th September 2023, held a fruitful engagement with the European Union Delegation in Sierra Leone, World Bank Group and the African Development Bank
Earlier this week, Dr. Guei paid a courtesy visit to the UN Resident Coordinator Babatunde Ahonsi; World Food Program country director, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Minister of Lands, Housing and Country Planning, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Manu River Union Secretariate among others.
He also met with the Irish Ambassador later this afternoon as part of continued efforts to strengthen mutual working relationships and to discuss possible areas of Collaboration and support to FAO’s strategic objectives.
The SRC is led by the FAO Representative in Sierra Leone Saeed A. Bancie and Wuyango Harding, Head of Programs.
