Liberia: EU Urges Urgent Electoral Reforms to Safeguard 2029 Poll Credibility

The European Union (EU) has called on Liberian authorities to urgently accelerate electoral reforms, warning that delays could undermine public trust and the overall credibility of the country's 2029 General and Presidential Elections.

The appeal was made on Friday, May 29, 2026, by Andreas Schieder, Member of the European Parliament and former Chief Observer of the EU Election Observation Mission to Liberia for the 2023 elections, during a press briefing held at the EU Mission office in Monrovia.

Schieder emphasized that Liberia has reached a decisive stage in its electoral reform process, stressing that discussions must now translate into legal and institutional action.

"Time is critical for implementing recommendations aimed at strengthening transparency, public confidence, and democratic governance in Liberia," Schieder said. "We urge Liberian authorities to transform ongoing reform discussions into concrete measures aimed at improving the credibility and effectiveness of future elections."

The EU Election Observation Follow-up Mission arrived in Liberia on May 10, 2026, to assess progress made on 22 recommendations issued after the 2023 elections. These recommendations focus on key areas including voter registration integrity, constituency boundary delimitation, campaign finance regulation, electoral dispute resolution, gender inclusion, election administration, and institutional capacity building.

Since its arrival, the delegation led by Schieder has engaged a wide range of stakeholders, including President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., the Board of Commissioners of the National Elections Commission (NEC), the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, members of the Legislature, political parties, civil society organizations, media representatives, and Liberia's international partners.

According to Schieder, these consultations revealed broad agreement on the need for reforms, but also a concerning gap between consensus and implementation.

"The picture from those engagements is one of broad agreement but slow execution," he said. "While stakeholders accept that reforms are necessary, the urgency required to meet the 2029 timeline is still missing."

He warned that postponing reforms increases risks for the electoral process and public trust.

"Reforms implemented at the last minute create confusion for voters, strain election administrators, and give room for doubt," Schieder noted. "The credibility of an election is built years before ballots are printed. Citizens need to see the rules, the institutions, and the process working long