The Carter Center observed or prepared to observe elections in Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Liberia this year and continued to work on improving the political atmosphere in the United States.
A Center mission to observe the June 24 elections in Sierra Leone found reason to question the tabulation process and the announced results of the vote.
Results announced in July for parliamentary, mayoral, and local government elections showed unusual variances from the presi- dential race results released on June 27. The Center noticed differences in turnout as well as in votes for key parties in many districts, raising questions about how the votes were tabulated.
The Carter Center also expressed concern about reports of intimidation of some election observers and called on all Sierra Leoneans to ensure that accredited election observers could carry out their responsibilities.
At the invitation of Liberia’s National Elections Commission, The Carter Center deployed a three-member international electoral expert team to Monrovia to assess key political, electoral, and legal aspects of the country’s Oct 10 general elections.
The expert mission planned to analyze the broader context of the elections as well as the findings and reports from other observer groups Due to its limited size and scope, the mission did not plan to assess the conduct of polling or counting or make a comprehensive assessment of the election process.
In late September, The Carter Center launched an international election observation mission ahead of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s general elections scheduled for Dec 20. The Center has worked in the country since 2006, when it observed the country’s presidential and parliamentary elections. It also observed the 2011 national elections and sent an expert team for the 2018 elections.
In cooperation with a variety of partners, The Carter Center is working to affirm the rule of law and head off threatening and violent behavior in relation to U S elections.
All 50 states, 131 candidates, and 78 organizations from across the political spectrum have endorsed the Center’s Candidate Principles for Trusted Elections. Signatories pledge to uphold five core doctrines of democratic elections: integrity, nonviolence, security, oversight, and the peaceful transfer of power.
In September, the Center and 12 other presidential foundations issued a joint statement promoting compassion, tolerance, pluralism, and respect for others.
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