Ex-Liberian President, George Opong Manneh Weah has reset Africa’s democratic credentials by conceding defeat hours after the provisional announcement of 99.6% of all Polling Stations by the country’s National Electoral Commission (NEC) sends a message of shame to neighbouring Sierra Leone whose elections is still not yet over.
A proposed cross-party committee of experts and other officers will soon be in full swing to look into Sierra Leone’s multi-tier elections almost five months after they were conducted by Mohamed Kenewui Konneh, the country’s Chief Electroal Commissioner.
Latest results pronounced, last Friday, by Liberia’s NEC put Joseph Boakai at 50.89% of the total votes counted while President George Weah trailed with a 49.11%.
Observers of Africa’s political landscape in recent times have indicated that the outgoing President Weah’s latest action will correct the menace of political gluttony exhibited by many African leaders of late in their desperations to maintain a second term at all cost, a sad development that had caused a surge in military interventions, the recent of such being in Gabon.
Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Niger are all now ruled by men in khakis either because the civilians in power attempted to manipulate their national constitutions to keep them in power, or manipulate their electoral processes that could result in denying the show of the true voice and will of their citizens in the choice of who to rule them.
In Gabon, the military took power in what was a bloodless coup d’etat because of its popularity and the manifested disgruntlement of the vast majority of the Gabonese citizenry on August 30 when it appeared that the country’s President, Ali Bongo Ondimba had been controversially elected for a third term amid widespread election irregularities.
Shame on Sierra Leone because what many anti democrats saw as a fait accompli in Liberia because of their thinking that what transpired in Sierra Leone’s electoral process leading to the unprecedented hasty and improper announcement of the presidential election results by the country’s Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL) headed by Mohamed Kenewui Konneh, could by contagion, be transferred to Liberia.
Indications were that Liberia’s election was far more peaceful and orderly in comparison with the charade that was organised in Sierra Leone although there was reports of a few isolated election campaign violence between and among political party supporters.
In Sierra Leone, it was a case of complete divide of the country at all levels of governance and administrative structures viz: the Executive, the legislature and the Judiciary all turned against the people and their determination to express the fundamental rights to vote for whom to rule them.
Reports abound of how the main Opposition Leader, Dr. Samura Kamara was attacked on his campaign trail by state security forces and how the main opposition supporters in so-called incumbent party strongholds were violently stopped from open campaigns as they were victimised, beaten, harassed and their property burned or destroyed.
The headquarters of the main Opposition, All Peoples Congress (APC) in the Capital, Freetown was turned into a firing range by state security forces with no time allowed for a peaceful assembly and or for the coordination of its activities prior and during the electoral process.
On the contrary, outgoing President Weah warmly congratulated his country’s NEC describing their role in the entire process as “a job well done” and that they have earned the respect of all Liberians, their development partners, international observers and the world at large, “for completing this difficult task to the satisfaction of all stakeholders including the contesting parties,” President Weah said in his November 14, 2023 post Presidential run-off address.
He reminded his compatriots that he promised a fair, transparent and credible election, and proudly asserted that, “…for the most part, we have fulfilled that promise. The Liberian people have spoken, and their choice will be honoured and obeyed,” and encouraged his party supporters to follow his example and accept the results of the elections
In Sierra Leone, the June 24, 2023 elections and their processes and outcomes led to widespread dissatisfaction among Sierra Leoneans, foreign partners, international observers and the world at large.