Liberia: Elections Commission needs US$12m for 2005 Polls

Liberia needs donors to help it find more than US$12 million so it can conduct elections in October 2005 and return to democracy after a long and bitter civil war, the head of the National Elections Commission said on Friday. The number of Liberians entitled to vote is also still not known. Estimates of the country's current population vary between 2.5 and 3 million and over 300,000 are still living in neighbouring countries where they sought refuge during the troubles.