The United States congratulates the people of Liberia for demonstrating their commitment to democracy by voting in large numbers during the first round of elections on October 11. We are also very pleased that international and domestic observers were able to monitor these important elections, which all agreed were peaceful.

We commend Liberia’s National Elections Commission (NEC) for organizing peaceful, orderly, and transparent elections. We commend the important contributions of the UN Mission in Liberia to promote security in the country during the electoral process. We urge the NEC to continue to thoroughly examine and address all complaints of irregularities in a transparent manner. We look forward to a peaceful and orderly second round of elections scheduled on November 8.

We call upon all political party leaders and their supporters to follow the rule of law and respect the official results. We strongly condemn any attempt by individuals to undermine the electoral process by using inflammatory rhetoric, intimidation, or violence. The international community will hold accountable those who choose to engage in such undemocratic activities.

The United States will continue to support the people of Liberia and will work with all elected officials to further consolidate democracy, and promote stability and prosperity.