United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan on Wednesday called on leaders and supporters of former soccer star George Weah’s party to respect results of the recent presidential election in Liberia and refrain from violence.
”The secretary general is concerned about the recent disturbances in Monrovia and the tensions resulting from protests by supporters of the Congress for Democratic Change [CDC] against the results of the run-off presidential election of November 8,” a UN statement said.
It said Annan called on CDC leaders and backers ”to respect the internationally certified results of the election and adhere to universally accepted standards of democratic governance and the rule of law”.
The UN chief urged the CDC to ”refrain from any violence, which is absolutely unacceptable, and allow any complaints to go through the full legal process set out in Liberia’s electoral legal framework”.
Fifty people were arrested as Weah loyalists fought with Liberian and UN police after Weah claimed to be the real winner of last month’s presidential poll, officials said on Monday.
The country’s transitional government met in an emergency session to discuss the latest upsurge in violence following the election results that officially gave victory to Weah’s rival, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.
The violence has already been condemned by Annan’s representative in Liberia, Alan Doss, who pinned the blame firmly on the CDC leadership. — Sapa-AFP