The Liberia Election Observation Network (LEON) has released its electoral cycle observation report on the 2023 Presidential and legislative elections in Liberia. The report, based on observations by 73 district-level observers and 1,000 short-term observers, highlighted key findings such as peaceful elections, credible results, and minor electoral violence.
The report also delved into voter turnout, invalid voting rates, and public perception. Recommendations were provided to enhance democratic practices, with LEON’s projections aligning well with the National Election Commission’s results, boosting the overall credibility of the electoral process.
The head of LEON’s Secretariat, Augustine Tamba, presented an overview of the project, emphasizing insights from a team of election analysts and observers. The report covered various election-related topics, including Election Day and post-election analyses, result management, and electoral dispute resolution.
Noteworthy events like the presidential transition, legislative opening, and by-elections in specific counties were also highlighted, alongside comparative electoral data and a public perception survey.
The report offered a comprehensive assessment of the electoral cycle from 2022 to 2024, with detailed observations and analysis across significant events surrounding the 2023 elections.
Leon’s report looked at the presidential transition and inauguration, the opening of the legislature, and by-elections in Nimba and Grand Gedeh counties in April 2024.
Tamba said comparative electoral data, including voter turnout and invalid voting rates from 2025 to 2023, is analyzed during the period of reporting. “A post-election public perception survey was conducted in December 2023 to assess the views of the electorate,”
He also mentioned the pending referendum issues of Liberia, including the status of the current electoral law and the analysis of the 2022 census population data for constituency boundary delimitation.
Tamba said Leon conducted two rounds of sample-based election observation, with projected results consistent with the National Election Commission’s official results.
“The report assesses the 2023 presidential elections as largely peaceful, well-coordinated, and implemented in a timely manner,” he said. “The government of Liberia and all citizens are commended for enabling orderly elections and conducting a successful transition of government with the formation of the 55th legislature and the inauguration of the 26th President of the Republic of Liberia,”
A representative of the Swedish Embassy at the program, Nikolina Stalhand, lauded the manner in which the 2023 presidential and legislative elections were conducted in Liberia, highlighting the Swedish coordination and timely results despite challenges.
She noted that Liberia is noted as a regional and global role model for credible elections, attributing this success to the efforts of various stakeholders, including the NEC, international observers, media, and civil society.
“Despite progress, there are outstanding issues such as boundary delimitation, women’s political participation, and election score uncertainties that need to be addressed proactively to improve future electoral processes,” she said, while emphasizing the importance of taking the recommendations from the report seriously to strengthen Liberia’s democracy.
Stalhand called for the need to build on the lessons learned from the report and other reports highlighting the importance of addressing issues related to boundary delimitation, women’s political participation, and uncertainties around the election score.
She stressed the urgency of addressing the mentioned issues before they become politicized as the next election cycle approaches.
The report, she noted, is seen as an opportunity to listen to observations and recommendations put forward by Leon and to act on them to strengthen democracy in Liberia.
She however expresses hope that the report will be taken seriously by all stakeholders to enhance the democratic process.
The positive government response and global acknowledgments for Liberia’s electoral process were highlighted.
Recommendations from the report, including addressing boundary delimitation, enhancing women’s political participation, and dealing with uncertainties in the election scores, were underscored as crucial aspects requiring immediate attention to further strengthen Liberia’s democracy and electoral process.
Ongoing actions based on the report’s observations and recommendations are advocated to address these critical issues proactively.
