UN Security Council urges "maximum restraint" from Liberian

The UN Security Council on Sunday called upon "all Liberian stakeholders to exercise maximum restraint" as the voters in the West African country are expected to cast their ballots in the Nov. 8 presidential run-off election. The appeal was contained in a press statement issued here by Jose Filipe Moraes Cabral, Portugal's UN ambassador who holds the rotating Security Council presidency for November. "The members of the Security Council call on all Liberian stakeholders to exercise maximum restraint and work together to maintain confidence in the electoral process," the statement said. "The members of the Security Council urge all parties to use existing appropriate national mechanisms to resolve any complaints about the elections." Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has called on her compatriots to turn out in large numbers and vote in the Tuesday presidential run-off election while criticizing the opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) for its decision to boycott the polls. Winston Tubman, head of the main opposition party CDC, on Friday announced that his party would not take part in upcoming run-off election against Johnson-Sirleaf. CDC, which came second in the first round of election on Oct. 11, is demanding replacement of members of the current National Elections Commission and recount of the ballots in the first round before they take part in any run-off. James Fromayan, the former NEC Chairman, has resigned from the post. New York - Xinhua The UN Security Council on Sunday called upon "all Liberian stakeholders to exercise maximum restraint" as the voters in the West African country are expected to cast their ballots in the Nov. 8 presidential run-off election. The appeal was contained in a press statement issued here by Jose Filipe Moraes Cabral, Portugal's UN ambassador who holds the rotating Security Council presidency for November. "The members of the Security Council call on all Liberian stakeholders to exercise maximum restraint and work together to maintain confidence in the electoral process," the statement said. "The members of the Security Council urge all parties to use existing appropriate national mechanisms to resolve any complaints about the elections." Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has called on her compatriots to turn out in large numbers and vote in the Tuesday presidential run-off election while criticizing the opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) for its decision to boycott the polls. Winston Tubman, head of the main opposition party CDC, on Friday announced that his party would not take part in upcoming run-off election against Johnson-Sirleaf. CDC, which came second in the first round of election on Oct. 11, is demanding replacement of members of the current National Elections Commission and recount of the ballots in the first round before they take part in any run-off. James Fromayan, the former NEC Chairman, has resigned from the post.