MONROVIA, 24 January 2023, Tuesday, The National Elections Commission (NEC) says the 24th January 2023 Front Page Africa article Captioned, “Millions may not vote in October Elections” is false and misleading, and has the potential to prevent millions of Liberians from registering in the 20 March to 11 May 2023 Voter registration in Liberia.
The NEC categorically dismisses the claims by the Front Page Africa newspaper, that voters are required to use National Identification Cards to obtain Biometric Voter Registration ID Cards for this year’s General and Presidential Elections.
The NEC says Liberians 18 years and above are to only physically appear at the registration centers and register.
The NEC states that it has no plan to subject eligible Liberians to verification except when doubt arises as to a person posing to be a Liberian.
The Commission notes that Section 3.1 ((a) thru (e)) of the New Elections Law (as amended on 15 December 2014), says, the Principal means of verifying whether a person is a citizens of Liberia, a valid Liberian Passport, a birth certificate, a certificate of neutralization, a sworn statement by two registered voters or confirmation by a Liberian Traditional leader, may be requested as prove of Liberian citizenship.
The New Elections Law further empowers the National Elections Commission to issue regulations to establish the procedures in which these means and any other means the NEC deems necessary and appropriate, will be approved.
It is against this backdrop that the Commission now includes the National Identification Registry (NIR) Card as one of the several means of verification if and only where a nationality or age is in question. This is far from being a pre-requisite for voter registration.
The NEC, while reassuring that all Liberians 18 years old and above will be allowed to register, the NEC calls on Liberians to look to the Commission for information regarding the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) exercise.
