The four-Collaborating Opposition Political Parties have warned that any attempt to rig the Montserrado County by-elections and any subsequent elections will provoke a reaction similar
to the “SAVE THE STATE’ Protest, saying that they will settle for no outcomes other than a free, fair, transparent and credible electoral contest that respects the verdict of the People of Montserrado County.
The main opposition bloc also said, “we are aware that Kokorya’s tenure as Chairman of the National Elections Commission is nearing its end and so it is possible to negotiate a condition for extension and/or renewal, which may not be far from skewing any outcomes in favor of President Weah’s preferred choices of candidates.”
Accordingly, the four-Collaborating Opposition Political Parties have warned that as was demonstrated on June 7, 2019 when thousands of Liberians thronged Capitol Hill to show their disapproval for the way their country is being governed, any attempt to rig the Montserrado County by-elections and any subsequent elections will provoke a similar reaction.
“We note with concern that the NEC had previously, in preparation for the stalled by-elections, released a Calendar of Events by which candidates have been conducting their campaign activities. This Calendar of Events provides timelines for Replacement of Lost or Damaged Voter Identification Cards, which period had ended long before 8 July 2019, the date set for the stalled by-elections,” the opposition bloc recalled.
The opposition collaborating Parties said this is not the first time that such a strange movement had been detected. “Previously, many people from different parts of Liberia had been spotted in the premises of the National Elections Commission’s (NEC’s) Sinkor headquarters purporting to have been “sent” to obtain their Voter Cards. When confronted by political parties during two (2) recent meetings of the Inter-Party Consultative Committee (IPCC), the Commission superficially addressed this strange development without providing any guarantee that nothing sinister was at stake, even if not official.”
“We warn elements of the National Elections Commission who continue to collude with external political forces to immediately desist because they are under our radar and will suffer the consequences of their actions. We will do all we can to protect the votes of the People of Montserrado County” the opposition bloc cautioned.
“Political Parties have continued to express concern about this continuous development, especially considering that the time for Replacement of Lost or Damaged Voter Cards had long elapsed. This is unprecedented in recent election history, and it validates the growing fear that plans to rig the Montserrado votes might still be afloat.
In the wake of this strange development, the Opposition bloc said Chairman Jerome Kokorya has of late been seen in the company of the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Mr. Nathaniel McGill, whose jurisdiction has nothing to do with that of the National Elections Commission.
“In fact, considering that during the launch of the CDC Candidates’ campaign last month, President George Weah had threatened our candidates and vowed that ‘As long as I am George Weah and President of Liberia…Abraham Darius Dillon and Telia Urey will never win any elections in Liberia…,’ we cannot underrate the dangers that these maneuvers pose to Liberia’s electoral process and system”.
The Collaborating opposition parties called on the Civil Society, Human Rights Community, Liberia National Bar Association, the Press Union of Liberia, other Interest and Pressure Groups, the ECOWAS Commission, European Union, African Union, United Nations, the United States Government and Liberia’s multilateral Partners and other Friends of Liberia to take note of this concern … to prevail on President Weah and the National Elections Commission not to take the very expensive risk of tampering with the Montserrado County by-elections and future elections, as this will be a red herring.”
The Opposition bloc said it will settle for no outcomes shy of a free, fair, transparent and credible electoral contest that respects the verdict of the People of Montserrado County.
“Besides, we are aware that Kokorya’s tenure as Chairman of the National Elections Commission is nearing its end and so it is possible to negotiate a condition for extension and/or renewal, which may not be far from skewing any outcomes in favor of President Weah’s preferred choices of candidates,” the statement said.
Comments are closed.