By: G Bennie Bravo Johnson I 

The Liberian National Bar Association (LNBA) in collaboration with the National Elections Commission (NEC) through the United Development Program (UNDP) electoral Support Project climaxed engagement dialogue seeking a commitment to post-election democracy and peace consolidation. 

The stakeholders’ engagement dialogue which was held Friday, February 9, 2024, at the LNBA office was graced by Civil Society Organizations, Security actors, religious leaders, the media community as well as members of the public and other stakeholders. 

However, the engagement dialogue brought to closure the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Electoral Support Project (LNBACNP) that was launched on September 19, 2023, which aimed at strengthening the legal capacity of Liberian lawyers and providing civic engagement for stakeholders across the fifteen Counties of Liberia. 

The project came about due to an MoU among stakeholders that included the LNBA and the NEC to execute a grant of Hundred Fifty thousand United States dollars. The initiative is the LNBA collaboration with the NEC project. 

Also, the objective of the project is to initiate collaboration with the NEC and stakeholders to ensure the successful conduct of the 2023 Presidential and legislative elections support the NEC on its effectiveness in the disposal of election cases, and increase public knowledge, particularly, lawyers, aspirants and political parties and leaders of the legal electoral process to reduce court dockets. 

Lastly, the project also seeks to allow election stakeholders to fully understand the distinction between the courtroom litigation process and administrative hearings conducted before the NEC. 

Giving the introductory remark, LNBA President Cllr. Sylvester D. Rennie extolled the participants for honoring the invitation for the closure of the project, saying that the consolidation of Liberia’s peace and democracy rests on the collective efforts of everyone.

“Today marks the closure of a program that was birth in September. The concept was developed by the LNBA to ensure there be a partnership with NEC in connection with Electoral program.  Now, we have come to see how we can brainstorm on the consolidation of Liberia peace and democracy. On that basis, we have call you here for us to brainstorm. 

According to him, based upon some missteps they saw along the way on the part of lawyers and NEC, they decided to come in to build the capacity of lawyers, civil society organizations, media, and stakeholders to ensure peaceful elections and understanding of legal electoral processes. 

Cllr. Rennie noted that not understanding the laws sometimes created problems in the past therefore, the LNBA sees the decongestion of electoral complient carried by political parties and lawyers as a major concern to be addressed with urgency.

“Also, during the program, the security sector was informed about their roles and responsibilities because people are partisan security around here. The first phase of the we visited Montserrado, Nimba, Grand Bassa, Bomi, Grand Gedeh, and the last phase concluded the rest of the counties. We also provided Civic education during the runoff election ” he concluded.

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