We are grateful to Standard Bearers and Vice –Standard bearers, the Heads of Electoral Observation Mission and the Diplomatic Corps for attending today’s event. Several were unable to attend due to campaign events outside Monrovia.

We wish to congratulate and commend political parties for their peaceful and responsible campaigns. They have demonstrated maturity-cooperating well with state authorities and security services. There have been security incidents, but relatively few. I also thank you for your engagement with your supporters to channel their enthusiasm into mobilizing greater and peaceful participation.

We commend parties for participation in the IPCC and for offering constructive recommendations to the NEC.  We also commend them for their participation in public events, which voters make informed choices.

This is in line with the letter and spirit of the Farmington River Declaration, which has now been signed by five or more political parties. We express appreciation to all of the signatories, as well as to the Inter-Religious Council of Liberia and the Governance Commission for overseeing the process. 

Managing an electoral process is complex. Elections are never perfect. There have been technical issues in this electoral process, but none that make us think there will be major problems. The NEC has done its best to manage the elections fairly and impartially.

Now that we are all passionately awaiting the elections and their outcome, I strongly urge candidates to call for calm among their supporters, as the peaceful conduct of elections largely depends on their behaviour.

Candidates and political parties have legal means available to address their grievance, and I urge them to use those means and act responsibly if they have concerns on the process and its outcomes.

National, regional and international electoral observation teams will be looking closely at all aspects of the elections and will provide their analysis of the results, as well as recommendations for the future.

As evidence by recent foreign media articles, the world will be closely watching Liberia on 10 October and the following weeks and months. Donors and private investors are awaiting the outcome of the electoral process and Government transition in January 2018. They know that Liberia has extraordinary potential, and this election is a time to renew and boost their confidence in Liberia.

October 10 is a historic day for Liberia and its people. Liberians have come a long way and enjoyed 14 years of peace after a period of great suffering. If held on the basis of applicable norms and standards, these elections would greatly contribute to enhancement of democracy and help create a more conductive environment of democracy and help create a more conductive environment for the work of rebuilding Liberia socially and economically.

Liberians and their political leaders have a unique opportunity to prove it to themselves and their friends that they are determined and able to deliver the fairest, most transparent, inclusive and credible elections ever held in the history of Liberia. This would certainly be a great national victory for you and for all the people of Liberia, regardless of who wins the elections.