By: G Bennie Bravo Johnson I The Liberia National Bar Association (LNBA) has begun rolling out activities under the LNBA/NEC collaboration project, which is intended to build the capacities of the National Elections Commission (NEC), civil society organizations, security sector actors, religious community and the media.
The project is being funded by the Electoral Support Program of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and will last for five months.
According to a communication sectioned by the national secretary of the LNBA, Cllr. Bornor M. Varmah, it was revealed that the implementation of the project activities has been disaggregated on a regional basis in the fifteen political subdivisions of the country.
It can be recalled that recently the Liberia National Bar Association (LNBA) received US$150,000 (one hundred fifty thousand Untied States Dollars) from the UNDP Electoral Support Program to roll out activities under the project.
Meanwhile, the implementation of the project began on Tuesday, September 19, 2023 with the holding of a public dialogue on electoral dispute resolution, with emphasis on the distinction between courtroom litigation and administrative hearings conducted at NEC, and public awareness on the election timetable and pre-election activities.
The BAR further revealed that the event was held at the Paynesville Town Hall, Montserrado County, and was attended by over 100 participants drawn from various sectors of the Liberian society, including members of the bar, CSOs, security sector and the media.
The project, which is the first of its kind, has been widely praised by members of the Bar, the Supreme Court and the general public given the sacred role of the Bar over the years. The objective of the project is to ensure the peaceful conduct of a free, fair, transparent, credible and democratic election.
Making remarks at the event, the National President of the Liberia National Bar Association, Cllr. Sylvester Rennie; Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, Her Honor Jamesetta Howard Wolokolie; ECOWAS Ambassador, Josephine Nkrumah; NEC Commissioner, Boakai Dukuly as well as the Legal Analyst of the EU Observer Mission underscored the need for the conduct of a peaceful and transparent election, and praised the effort of the LNBA, NEC and the UNDP for such wonderful initiative.
In continuation of the activities, the LNBA will on today, September 22, 2023 hold a major public dialogue in Tubmanburg, Bomi County, to train election stakeholders in the western region, which include Bomi, Gbarpolu and Grand Cape Mount counties. The event is expected to be attended by over 100 participants.
On Tuesday, September 26, 2023, the LNBA will hold another public dialogue and awareness event in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, with participants drawn from Margibi, Rivercess and Grand Bassa Counties.
