–As Biometric Voters’ Registration Exercise Suffers Low Temporary Electoral Staffs
IPNEWS – Monrovia: In June of 2021, the National Elections Commission (NEC) submitted its budget of US$91,958,546.70 million to the Senate ahead of 2023 presidential and legislative elections, the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning in return politicized the submission and said the money was too much, but it failed to take into consideration the huge logistics associated in the conduct of any given election.
Section 11.2 of the New Elections Law states that the Commission shall submit an annual budget directly to the Legislature of Liberia for consideration and approval.
The provision says further that the Ministry of Finance shall, on or before July 1 and January 1 in each fiscal year, cause the amount approved for the following half year for the general administration for the Commission and for preparing for and conducting election or referendum, to be paid into an account established and operated by the commission.
NEC Chairperson Davidetta Browne Lansanah
In a budget submitted on Tuesday, 1 June, 2021 and signed by NEC Chairperson Davidetta Browne Lansanah, the Commission said the total amount US$91,958,546.70 million was needed for the conduct of the election during which biometric system will be used to conduct voters’ registration which is described internationally as fraud free process.
The aim of implementing biometric election technology is achieving de-duplication of the voter registration, thus preventing multiple voting; improving identification of the voter at the polling station, and mitigating the incidence of voter fraud.
The breakdown of the budget included Biometric Voters’ Registration Pilot Project, US$3,968,304.8; Biometric Voters’ Registration, US$29, 680, 200; Public Information US$795,590; Graphic Information System US$561, 932.4 and Data Center US$3, 442,340.
Further in the breakdown, NEC proposed allotments as Civic Voters Education Activities, US$6, 881,655; Gender Voters’ Education, US$1,308,510; Elections 2023, US$16, 560,425.4; Presidential Runoff Elections, US$12,062,333; Operations Headquarters, US$8,932,053.5; Operations Field, US$3,454, 682.8; Personnel and Related Expenses, US$3,838,680 and Monitoring and Evaluation US$471,840.5.
Finance, NEC Streamline US$91.9 M Budget For 2023 Elections
Following reports that the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning had complained of the US$91.9 Million proposed budget being enormous, in September 2012 the National Elections Commission, (NEC) and the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, held a one-day technical meeting on the proposed draft budget for the 2023 General Elections in Liberia.
The technical meeting with the Finance and Development Planning Ministry also included technicians from the two institutions who all worked together to streamline the proposed US$91.9 million budget submitted by the NEC, after the Finance Ministry said it would be difficult to raise such money through revenue collection alone.
It can be recalled that on 26 May 2021, the NEC submitted the 2023 Presidential and Legislative Elections Budget to the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, after which technicians of both institutions engaged in stream lining the US$91.9 million budget for the 2023 presidential and legislative Elections.
NEC Submits US$61M Budget For 2023 Elections
In September 2022, the National Elections Commission (NEC) submitted a new proposed budget of US$61 million to enable it conduct the crucial 2023 Presidential and Legislative elections in Liberia.
NEC chair, Davidetta Brown-Lansanah, said the Commission had to adjust and submit to the Legislature a US$61 million budget for the 2023 electoral activities.
“The Government has approved in the 2022 Fiscal Budget, the amount of US$20 million for the National Elections Commission,” Browne-Lansanah said in September 2021.
She added that the amount was to enable NEC to finance voters’ registration and other preliminary activities leading to the October 10, 2023 polls.
She noted further that, of the US$20 million, the Ministry of Finance had already disbursed US$6 million to NEC, the NEC Chairperson said in September 2021.
After US$4M Check to NEC: Tweah Yet to Remit Phases of US$33M for Elections – Claims Commissioner Reeves
On Friday, March 10, 2023 National Elections Commission (NEC) Chairperson, Davidetta Brown-Lansanah announced that the NEC is yet to receive the money it needs to conduct the long-awaited presidential and legislative elections.
It be recalled Chairperson Lansanah disclosed that the Liberian government has only made US$4 million check available to commence the exercise leading to the conduct of the October 10, 2023 polls, after a budget of US$91.9 million was initially reduced to US$61 million by the government, and again further reduced to US$33 million for the conduct of the polls.
NEC Commissioner Taplah Reeves
Speaking during a stakeholders’ meeting held at the headquarters of the Commission in Sinkor, NEC’s Chairperson, Davidetta Brown-Lansanah, said of the US$33,000,000 (Thirty-three million United States Dollars) the Commission requested to conduct the elections, the Liberian Government through its Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, has so far provided a check of US$4,000,000 (Four million dollars) check.
Flanked by other Commissioners of the National Electoral Body, Madam Brown-Lansanah also disclosed that of the US$18,000,000 (Eighteen million dollars) it also requested for the Biometric Voters’ Registration (BVR), the Commission has received US$16,000,000 (Sixteen million) with the expectation to receive the balance US$2,000,00 (Two million) soon.
Apparently speaking out of frustration, Madam Lansanah said delayed funding has always been a critical problem for the conduct of not only the 2023 elections, but other elections, including by-elections.
Commissioner Taplah Reeves Appears Before Senate
And so, appearing before Plenary of the Senate the Board of Commissioner at the National Election Commission (NEC) on Thursday, March 16, 2023 disclosed that the NEC has not receive a cent from Finance Minister Samuel Tweah to start the Voters’ Registration exercise which is expected to start on Monday, March 20, 2023.
Commissioner Taplah Reeves told Plenary that after the Government of Liberia settled on providing US$33 million for the conduct of the October 2023 presidential and legislative elections, Finance and Development Planning Minister Samuel Tweah and the NEC Board of Commissioners had meeting wherein he promised that the Government would pay the US$33 million in three phases of US$10M, US$10M and US$13M respectively.
According to Commissioner Reeves, based on Minister Tweah’s promise at their meeting, US$10 million should have been remitted to the NEC on Wednesday, March 15, 2023 but up to present that time they had not received the money yet.
She then called on Finance Minister Tweah to deposit the money into NEC’s Account before 12 pm of Wednesday, March 15, 2023. IPNEWS could not verify whether the Finance Minister complied with NEC’s call as per his previous promise.
The NEC Broad of Commissioners recently informed the Senate that the proposed US$91.9 million was projected and presented to the Liberian government for acceptance, but said the amount was finally cut down to US$33 million to conduct the October 2023 presidential and legislative elections.
Public Reaction of the NEC’s Proposed US$91M Budget
When the National Elections Commission (NEC) submitted the US$91.9 million in June of 2021 for the conduct of the October 2023 presidential and legislative elections, it was greeted with mixed reactions from Liberians home and abroad.
One of the Voters’ Registration Center at the Family Nursery Center school in Mamba Point, where Liberians converge to register
For some Liberians, they said the budget was too huge but not taking into consideration the logistics associated with the conduct of any given elections. Elections the world over are very expensive to conduct, but for those who were against the NEC’s proposed US$91.9 million did not care due to their limitation on what it takes to run a free, fair and transparent election.
As for those who supported the NEC, they feared that reducing the US$91.9 budget by the government was a bad omen for the October 2023 elections, taking into consideration the NEC needed to be adequately prepared in terms of logistics, manpower, electoral workers, conduct of civic voters’ education, monitoring and evaluation, dissemination of public information, and among many others.
Some Liberians sit on the sidewalk in the Mamba Point at the Family Nursery Center school vicinity area as they await their turn to be registered.
The frowned on the Liberian government for tying the hands of the NEC but still expected it to carry out an electoral process free of challenges and bottlenecks. The fear of those Liberians at home and abroad is being manifested in the ongoing Biometric Voters’ Registration exercise after the NEC’s proposed US$91.9 million was drastically streamlined to US$33 million by the Ministry of Finance.
Long Queues, Slow Process and Lack of Man Power to Adequately Carry out BVR Exercise
Since the commencement of the Biometric Voters’ Registration Exercise Phase-I in Bomi, Gbarpolu, Montserrado, Margibi, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Rivercess, among others there have been with enormous challenges ranging from power outages, malfunctioned biometric machines to some NEC’s staff inability or little knowledge to operate the machines.
Liberians in long queue at one of the voters’ registration centers in Montserrado County
Hundreds of citizens, who turn out daily to register have to wait for several hours in the queues at many registration centers either because the NEC staff were late or struggling with the biometric registration machines to get the work started.
On the Capitol Hill campus of the University of Liberia, the process was halted for several hours on the first day of the exercise due to power outage.
Liberians in long queue patiently await their respective turns to register
An Independent Probe Newspaper reporter, who have toured several centers said the registration process is at a snail pace apparently due to the elections workers’ inability to effectively operate the biometric registration machines or inadequate electoral staff at those centers that have to deal with thousands of Liberians coming to register.
The IPNEWS reporter said many of the registrars took nearly thirty minutes to have one person registered.
Liberians in long queue patiently await their respective turns to register
“Some of us have been standing in the queues since five this morning and its almost ten o-clock, but we are not registered yet,” remarked some of the people in the queues.
“If you can’t operate the machine, your talk and stop wasting our time,” others also remarked as they run out of patience.
Turnout was also very poor in many areas perhaps because people are waiting for the last days or are not just prepared to register now due to other engagements.
Liberians in long queue patiently await their respective turns to register
Some observers say turnout on the first day of the voters’ registration exercise was low and may likely remain low if the National Elections Commission fails to do more public awareness about the exercise.
In the main time, many aspirants for the Legislature have placarded in their respective constituencies’ posters with their photos and messages encouraging all citizens of voting age to register to vote in the November 10, 2023, legislative and presidential elections.
There is also an audio recording of President George Weah, who is seeking a second term of office, urging all Liberians to register to vote.
The President’s audio recording is being played on selected radio stations across the Country.
NEC temporary electoral staff at work as long queue awaits him. There are only one machines each at majority of the voters’ registration centers
It however still remains unclear as to whether the Liberian Government through Ministry of Finance and Development Planning has made available the thirty-three million United States Dollars the electoral commission needs to conduct the pending elections.
NEC’s Chairperson Davidetta Brown-Lansanah told stakeholders, including the media that of the thirty-three Million Dollars, the Government had only given the Commission a check of four million dollars.
There has so far been no update from the electoral commission on whether or not the Government has made full payment.
Madam Brown-Lansanah has said the late disbursement of funds for elections has always put the Commission in a tight position in doing its work.
Meanwhile, the biometric voters’ registration exercise is continuing across the Country, but with persistent challenges such as NEC staff’s late arrival or little knowledge to operate the biometric registration machines. Writes Siebo Williams, Editor-in-Chief; with additional reporting by David Targbe; Editor.
