ECC Dismisses Doe R. Sherman for Alliance with the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC)
Hours after the revelation by Activist Martin Kollie on the involvement of a staff of the Election Coordinating Committee(ECC) being a partisan in the tallying process of the just ended election, the ECC has with immediate effort dismissed Doe R. Sherman.
Activist Martin accused Doe of manipulating data in favor of the ruling CDC against the Unity party based on his alignment.
Doe who is a data clerk from the ECC with the elections house in Liberia photos were displayed on the social media linking him to partisan activities.
His action is a gross violation of the non-partisanship principle of the ECC. As a key requirement for election observation, members of the ECC signed a Non-Partisan Pledge, which means that observers and short-term staff are to remain neutral at all times.
According to the ECC, all clerks were vetted for the 2023 general elections by conducting background checks and investigations by the ECC proved Doe R. Sherman was not link to any political party or candidate at the time of the vetting.
“While the ECC is working internally to fix the issue, the public is hereby informed that Doe Sherman and all other Clerks do not have access to the ECC’s accumulated data system. It is also important to note that the affiliation of Doe R. Sherman does not in any way, undermine the ECC’s independence as an election observation group”, the ECC noted in a release issued Friday October 13, 2023.
However, the ECC further noted that it regrets the action of its staff to international partners and sponsors for any embarrassment it may have caused. “The ECC will continue to remain neutral and independent”.
The Elections Coordinating Committee (ECC) is Liberia’s largest domestic election observation network with diverse competencies, experiences, and expertise in democracy, elections, and governance established since 2010. ECC members include the Center for Democratic Governance (CDG); Center for Media Studies and Peace Building (CEMESP); Center for Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding (CECPAP); Institute for Research and Democratic Development (IREDD); Naymote Partners for Democratic Development (NAYMOTE-PADD); West Africa Network for Peace Building (WANEP), and the Women NGO Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSOL). The ECC election observation effort is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Irish-Aid.
