Council of Liberal Presidents – Joint Statement

Meeting virtually on Tuesday 3 November, the Council of Liberal Presidents convened by the President of Liberal International, discussed the state of liberal democracy around the world and agreed on the following joint statement:

The whole world is watching the elections in the United States very closely and on this day that America votes, we the Council of Liberal Presidents affirm our commitment to upholding and continuing to promote in our everyday activities the values of freedom, liberalism, and democracy.

We are concerned by the rise in authoritarian trends around the world, and the increasing use of the COVID pandemic by some leaders to expand restrictive measures and curtail individual rights and freedoms of citizens. The exploitation of global crises to arrest pan-democrat legislators and democracy activists, as is the case right now in Hong Kong at this very moment, reminds us that we cannot take our freedoms and democracy for granted. Democracies and democratic values can be fragile and require constant attention to ensure they remain in good health.

We affirm that free and fair elections are the foundation of healthy democracies and respecting the vote results and peaceful transfers of power are especially vital. Failing to ensure so undermine trust in the electoral process and risk violence and repressions, as we currently witness in Guinea.

We are concerned that the incumbent President of the United States has sought to frame any election result in which he does not win as fraudulent, and repeatedly denounced the free press as “the enemy of the people”.

Such actions raise doubts over the United States’ ability to lead the free world, undermines its credibility in supporting liberal institutions and democracy abroad, undermines the practice of evidence-based policymaking, and diminishes the attractiveness of the democratic model in the face of other less-free alternatives.

We urge President Trump to respect the wishes of the American citizens, whatever they may be, and trust that the US Constitution will be respected, and the final result pronounced only once all votes are counted and verified.

• President of Liberal International – Hakima el Haité
• President of Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party – Hans van Baalen 
• President of Africa Liberal Network – Gilbert Ouédraogo
• President of Arab Liberal Federation — Hassan Abbyaba
• President of Council of Asian Liberals & Democrats – Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangilinan
• President of Liberal Network for Latin America – Ricardo Gomes