MONROVIA: Amidst concerns among some stakeholders in the polity that the continuous fragmentation within the opposition community could lead to a landslide victory for President George Manneh Weah, the Standard Bearer of the Collaborating Political Parties(CPP), Mr. Alexander B. cummings has said the opposition community could coalesce in the second round in the situation President Weah scales through will have to face an opposition member but disagreed with the insinuation that someone can win the elections in the first round.
Speaking to a Voice of America program anchored by veteran US-based Liberian journalist James Butty over the weekend, Mr. Cummings said while it is true that there is a huge number of political parties in the country, only 3 presidential candidates are really the main contenders, naming himself, the standard bearer of the Unity Party Joseph Nyuma Boakai and the incumbent president, George Manneh Weah, adding that the three of them are manageable and should not claim that big alarm as it is being presented out there.
“There are three main contenders for the Presidency and it is not a big number although there are other on the ballot, the reality here is there are three main contenders, Alexander Cummings, Mr. Boakai and George Weah and I don’t think that is too many.
“Whoever gets to the round off, I think the opposition will coalesce but I think for now it is fair, it is okay and by the way President Weah has a record to defend a record that is not a good one and there is no way he can win the first round as they are projecting themselves and they are trying to impress it on the Liberian people and it will not work.
“So I don’t think the argument that the opposition is fragmented and therefore we cannot win the incumbent is not true”, Cummings said.
Mr. Cummings asserted that the President and his supporters are projecting the whole thing about a one round victory because they want to justify rigging in the ensuing elections and by doing that when it happens people will say oh but we told you that the President was going to win and majority will be deceived to think that way.
“The good thing is we are dispelling it just as aggressive as they are pushing it because the other opposition party is also pushing for the first round. So we are doing this to level the playing field psychologically.
“Again, if you look at the history of our elections nobody has won a first round. I mentioned it before that in 2017, when President Weah was very popular, when he has a strong record to defend and he has a very strong coalition, he could only get 38% in the first round”, he said.
He lamented the reported cases of elections related violence going on around the country with few days to go for the general elections to be held. He said it is sad that such ugly acts are beginning to emerge when everyone should on deck to avert the possible crisis and urged his fellow colleagues to act as soon as possible so as to address some of these challenges.
He said he and other political leaders in the country committed themselves towards holding of a free, fair and transparent election.
“To see violence from the word go it is disappointing and I call on my other colleagues, the political leaders to lead by example, to ensure that the elections are free, fair, transparent and peaceful.
“But most importantly, I call on the government of Liberia. President Weah has the constitutional obligation to ensure that these elections are secured and peaceful, though we will play our parts but he controls the police, the security apparatuses and it is incumbent upon him to provide us the enabling environment for these elections”, he said.
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