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 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, which is epitomised by what he calls “the peaceful elections in Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone and in 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 at both their national parliaments and the ECOWAS Parliament, concrete actions to safeguard the region’s democracy and to restore our region as the bastion of democracy in Africa.
Sidie Mohamed Tunis, Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, said the elections in Liberia are a shining example of how far the sub-region’s 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.
