Sidie Mohamed Tunis, Speaker of the Ecowas Parliament, said the elections in Liberia, in which President George Weah conceded defeat to his opponent, Joseph Boakai, in a tight run-off, are a shining example of how far the sub-regions democracy has come.
“I congratulate the people of Liberia for 20 years of peace and three successful democratic transitions after 14 years of brutal civil war. Hopefully, we can learn some good lessons from the people of Liberia and improve on future elections across the region,” said Speaker Tunis.
Dr Omar Alieu Touray, the Ecowas Commission President, said peaceful elections in Liberia show democracy is alive in West Africa despite the political and security challenges.
Also speaking at the ongoing Ecowas Parliament’s 2023 Second Ordinary Session in Abuja, Nigeria, Dr Omar Alieu Touray, President of the Ecowas Commission, praised Liberia’s and African football legend, President George Weah for conceding defeat and congratulated opposition leader Joseph Boakai on his victory.
Commission President Touray said there is hope for the sub-region’s democracy, epitomized by what he calls “the peaceful elections in Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, and Liberia.”
The Commission President said the good showing of the opposition in these elections shows that democracy is alive in the Ecowas region and that change is possible through peaceful means rather than unconstitutional changes of governments.
He commended the Liberian people for the political maturity they showed during the recently concluded presidential elections.
The Ecowas Commission chief appealed to parliamentarians to initiate concrete actions at both their national parliaments and the Ecowas Parliament to safeguard the region’s democracy and to restore our region as the bastion of democracy in Africa.
