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Liberia’s Landmark Elections and the Drive for Inclusivity and Security

Photo: Awareness raising on ‘Promoting Inclusive Political Participation and Elimination of Violence Against Women in Politics’ in Grand Cape Mount County in?Liberia. Photo Credit:?Messengers of Peace, Liberia

April 2024

The 2023 Presidential and Legislative Elections in Liberia marked a historic milestone as the first general elections conducted under the sole responsibility of national authorities since the 缅北禁地Mission in Liberia concluded its operations in 2018. Lauded by election observation missions for their overall peaceful nature with low numbers of incidences of violence, these elections represented a significant achievement for the people of Liberia.

Two peacebuilding initiatives played a key role in enabling peaceful electoral processes and, ultimately, a peaceful transition of power, marking Liberia’s second post-conflict democratic transition. Communities and key institutions were enabled to promptly address potential disputes linked to the electoral issues and tensions and to report and counter misinformation and hate speech.?In addition, dedicated efforts were made to create an enabling environment for the safe participation of women in local dispute prevention, mediation efforts, political campaigns and electoral participation. This resulted in low recorded incidents of violence against women during the electoral period, along with a notable increase in women’s representation in certain counties.

Funded by the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF), the two initiatives, “Promoting Inclusive Political Participation and Elimination of Violence Against Women in Politics” and “Promoting Peaceful Electoral Environment and Community Security in Liberia,” with a combined budget of $5 million, were spearheaded by 缅北禁地Women, UNDP, IOM, and OHCHR, in collaboration with local government bodies and civil society organizations.

To ensure an enabling and inclusive atmosphere for the elections, efforts by UNDP and OHCHR were aimed at preventing potential conflicts or misinformation from escalating into violence amidst the electoral complexities and the region’s inherent political and electoral vulnerabilities. Specific measures by 缅北禁地Women and UNDP focused on promoting equal participation, particularly among women and youth, and included a series of targeted training sessions and nation-wide advocacy campaigns. The projects facilitated the engagement of a wide range of stakeholders to foster dialogue and resolve conflicts, the implementation of early warning systems, and the promotion of human rights, the rule of law, community security, and constructive interaction with political parties and with police, in close collaboration with the National Elections Commission of Liberia (NEC).

To ensure community security and proactively resolve election-related conflicts, UNDP and 缅北禁地Women supported the Peace Building Office (PBO) within the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Angie Brooks International Center (ABIC) to establish two specialized electoral Situation Rooms: the PBO’s Early Warning Situation Room and the ABIC Women Situation Room. These mechanisms together played a pivotal role in monitoring, tracking, reporting, and addressing election-related incidents throughout the 2023 Presidential and Legislative Elections, effectively resolving 114 out of 139 reported incidents. Notably, the incidence of reported conflicts saw a substantial decrease from the over 500 incidents recorded during the 2017 general elections, a testament to the success of proactive public engagement efforts, particularly focused on youth and political figures, on the importance of peace and electoral non-violence in the country.

In addition to observing electoral conflict and ensuring a strong gender lens in this regard, the Women Situation Room initiated extensive sensitization and educational campaigns across Liberia, focusing on violence prevention and encouraging women’s participation. Activities ranged from interactive workshops employing simulations and role-plays in local languages, a significant women’s march for peace with 2,200 participants on the eve of elections, to roundtable discussions on women's role in politics and violence prevention. It also included a partnership with ECOWAS radio to amplify the reach of the Women Situation Room for peaceful elections.?These activities reached out to more than 6,900 people. Special attention was given to engaging marginalized youth and specific youth groups such as motorbike riders, mitigating their vulnerability to political manipulation and championing them as advocates for peace within their communities.

George Tollar, a youth peacebuilder said, “With support from ABIC and funding from PBF, I organized a soccer match, reaching out to my fellow youth who, like me, had experienced life on the streets. I emphasized the importance of maintaining the peace, regardless of the election outcome, reminding them that Liberia is our collective responsibility and that we are the future leaders of our nation.”

缅北禁地Women also focused on promoting women’s role in decision-making and politics and on the prevention of violence against women in politics, recognized as a major barrier to their political engagement. A key project milestone was the development and implementation of the Violence Against Women in Elections and Politics (VAWE/P) Protocol, supported by 缅北禁地Women and endorsed by the NEC and 29 political parties. This groundbreaking Protocol committed its signatories to actively prevent and respond to any gender-based violence or threats that may harm women participating in politics. This commitment was further reinforced by 26 political parties and coalitions signing, under the auspices of the NEC, and in the presence of ECOWAS and the United Nations the Revised Farmington River Declaration in April 2023, which underscored the importance of addressing electoral violence, including against women.

NEC Commissioner Josephine Kou Gaye emphasized the collaborative efforts, “NEC conducted stakeholder meetings and dialogues with political parties to ensure widespread understanding of the Protocol. The police, community leaders, and the public were sensitized and empowered to uphold women’s rights to safe and active participation in politics. The public was informed about avenues to seek redress in case of any violations.”?

Photo: Josephine Kou Gaye, Commissioner at the National Elections Commission (NEC) in Liberia. NEC performed the crucial task of overseeing the election process in Liberia. Photo Credit: 缅北禁地Women Liberia

The PBF’s initiatives also spotlighted violence against women in elections in national dialogues, engaging community and national radio programs, and a nationwide campaign “Women, Let’s Move!”?led by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection that reached out to around 30,000 women.

These efforts empowered young women, enhancing their leadership skills and promoting safe and equal participation in the elections.

“We trained young women who did not know anything about political participation, [or] violence against women in elections using different [tools] such as the VAWE protocol. We saw some of our young women on different social media platforms, leading and running campaigns for different candidates,” said Gwendolyn Myers, Executive Director of Messengers of Peace, one of the project partners.
Jartu Kallon from Vonzua Town in Grand Cape Mount said, “As a young woman, it was important to encourage people to [support women’s rights to participate in politics] because it’s important for our future.”

Photo: Miatta Siryon, Chairperson of the local women’s association in Grand Cape Mount County. She also participated in the Peacebuilding Fund leadership training. Photo Credit: 缅北禁地Women, Liberia

Another participant, Miatta Siryon, Chair of a country-wide women’s association in Grand Cape Mount said, “We learnt that it is important for women to take part in politics. We were taught how to resolve conflicts during elections. We raised awareness on violence against women during elections. We must not allow party differences to tear us [women] apart.”? She believes this contributed to the historic victory for women candidates in Grand Cape Mount County.

The 2023 elections in Grand Cape Mount and Grand Gedeh Counties were particularly noteworthy, with a significant increase in women’s representation, a direct outcome of these concerted efforts. For the first time, Grand Cape Mount elected three women, significantly enhancing female representation in the legislature – the county went from having no representation of women in the Legislature to one with the highest number of women. Similarly, Grand Gedeh elected its first female representative ever, marking a historic moment for Liberia.

Moreover, the projects partnered with the Liberia Electoral Support Project (LESP) to launch the iVerify Platform, addressing disinformation and hate speech. Managed by Local Voices Liberia, a local NGO, this virtual platform identified and corrected numerous instances of electoral disinformation. It identified 219 instances of disinformation, misinformation, and hate speech, of which 51 related to the electoral process, and were then fact-checked and corrected on the iVerify website.

These multifaceted initiatives, supported by PBF and implemented by 缅北禁地agencies and local partners, significantly contributed to fostering a more peaceful and inclusive electoral environment in Liberia, reinforcing the country’s peace advancements post-缅北禁地Mission.