Liberians go to the polls

Liberians voted on October 11 in Presidential and Parliamentary elections that are seen as a milestone in the country's effort to strengthen peace and democratic governance, as United Nations peacekeepers were deployed throughout the country to assist local security agencies and law enforcement to maintain security during election period.

At polling stations around Liberia's capital Monrovia, voters turned out en masse despite the rain to cast their votes on Election Day. Long lines of voters started forming at the nations polling precincts as early as 5:30 AM even though polls opened at 8:00 am and were due to close at 6:00 PM. Election Observers from the Carter Center, African Union and ECOWAS monitored activity at the polling centers throughout polling day. UNMIL deployed ECOWAS observers and those from the African Union by air to difficult to access magisterial regions.

Peacekeepers of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) were stationed at strategic locations around the country and in the capital, Monrovia, as part of their mandate to assist the Liberian National Police in ensuring security as part of the overall effort to enable Liberians to feel confident that they could vote freely and safely on Election Day.


A contingent of the Nigerian Battalion 24 of UNMIL deployed in armored personnel carriers to locations throughout the capital city Monrovia prior to and throughout election day October 11. These are just some of the measures taken by UNMIL in order to deter any spoilers, so all Liberians can vote in a safe environment.

An air patrol conducted by the United Nations Mission in Liberia surveyed the city for any signs of disturbance as part of the mission's measures in place to assist the LNP and reassure Liberians as they went out to cast their ballots.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Liberia
• West Africa
• Monrovia
• UNMIL
• ECOWAS
• Cater Center
• African Union
• National Elections Commission
• NEC