On eve of Liberia's run-off election, Annan urges voters to go to polls peacefully

As Liberia prepares for tomorrow's historic run-off election between Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and George Oppong Weah, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today urged the country's people to go to the polls and usher in a new era of democracy.

Commending the two leading candidates "for their personal commitment to a peaceful campaign," the Secretary-General, through his spokesman, called on all Liberians registered to vote to do so in a peaceful and orderly manner, just as they did during the first round on 11 October.

He emphasized that the run-off election "offers the people of Liberia an opportunity to elect a President to lead the country into a new era of peace, democracy and prosperity."

The Liberian National Elections commission, with support from the UN peacekeeping mission (UNMIL) and other partners, has put in place all the necessary arrangements for the second round of presidential elections to take place on schedule, the spokesman noted in a statement released in New York.

Thousands of international and Liberian electoral observers will be deployed throughout the country to monitor the polling process, and the statement assured the Liberian people that UNMIL, working closely with Liberia's security agencies, "will maintain a safe and secure environment to enable them to cast their votes without fear of intimidation or violence."

The Secretary-General also called on all Liberians to accept the results of the presidential elections so that the country can continue to build a future based on a solid democratic foundation.

Civil war has ravaged Liberia over most of the past 15 years, killing over 150,000 people and displacing many more. Among its tasks, UNMIL has for the past two years assisted the country's transition to peace and democracy.