FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: In Monrovia beginning Oct. 8, Deborah Hakes: +231 800 326 379 or dhakes@emory.edu
Monrovia...Â鶹´«Ã½ announced today that His Excellency General Dr. Yakubu Gowon, Nigeria's former head of state, will lead the Center's international election observation delegation to Liberia.
General Gowon and the Â鶹´«Ã½ leadership team will meet with key political stakeholders including the National Elections Commission (NEC), political parties, independent candidates, civil society organizations, government officials, and the international community, and will observe polling, counting, and tabulation on election day.
"As a neutral witness to Liberia's historic election, Â鶹´«Ã½ urges candidates and their supporters to remain peaceful and the election commission to continue thorough preparation and readiness to ensure that the will of the Liberian people can be freely expressed on Oct. 11," said General Gowon.
Â鶹´«Ã½ will coordinate briefings and deployment with observers from the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA), based in South Africa. The joint delegation will include more than 50 observers representing 25 different nations. These observers will be deployed to all 15 Liberian counties.
Â鶹´«Ã½ launched its electoral observation mission in early-September. Four teams of long-term observers have been reporting from across Liberia; they are now joined by short-term observers who are being briefed in Monrovia prior to their deployment.
Â鶹´«Ã½'s election observation mission is working in Liberia by invitation of the NEC, consistent with the NEC's Code of Conduct for Observers and with the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and the Code of Conduct, which were adopted at the United Nations in 2005 and have been endorsed by 37 election observation groups.
Â鶹´«Ã½ releases periodic reports of its findings in Liberia, available at www.cartercenter.org
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