Addis Ababa, 25 December 2017: As Liberia heads for a presidential runoff election on 26 December 2017, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, has approved the re-deployment of African Union (AU) observers to observe the conduct of the election. The AU observers has been redeployed to the country from 23 to 31 December 2017.

It could be recalled that the AU has been engaged in the electoral process in Liberia by deploying a pre-election assessment mission in February 2017, and long-term and short-term observers on 1 September and 3 October, respectively, to observe the first round Presidential and House of Representative elections in Liberia held on 10 October 2017. Although the elections passed on peacefully, and were deemed largely transparent and credible by election observation missions (both local and international), including the African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM), no candidate was able to secure the 50% plus one valid votes cast required by law to be elected president in the first round. A runoff presidential election was therefore scheduled for 7 November but which was suspended due to pending legal challenges. However, following the final determination and lifting of suspension of the conduct of the run-off election by the Supreme Court of Liberia, the National Electoral Commission has announced 26 December 2017 as the new date for the conduct of the election between the incumbent Vice President Joseph Boakai of the Unity Party (UP) and Senator George Weah of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC). The two had garnered in the first round 28.8% and 38.4%, respectively.

The presence of AU observers demonstrates the AUC’s commitment to strengthening democratic institutions and processes on the continent, in particular, building confidence in electoral processes, and ensuring peace and stability in member states holding elections.

For more information, please contact Mr Idrissa Kamara, Mission Coordinator | E-mail: kamarai@africa-union.org

For media inquiries contact:

Gamal Ahmed A. Karrar| Communication Officer| Directorate of Information and Communication, AU Commission| E-mail: Gamalk@Africa-union.org

For further information contact

Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: dic@africa-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

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