MONROVIA: After giving President George Manneh Weah massive votes during the first round of the just concluded October 10, 2023 general elections which added up to the huge outcome from the Southeast region of the country, citizens of Grand Gedeh County said they are resolved to go beyond the figure recorded in the county to ensure that President Weah is re-elected for the second term.
Speaking to newsmen in Monrovia shortly after holding a strategic meeting with his team and other stakeholders from the county, the County Campaign chairman, Mr. Shelton Kraty Dowaity Sr, said it will be an understatement that the citizens are resolved to once again go to the polls to re-elect President Weah but what has become paramount is they are going to increase the number of votes recorded during the first round to demonstrate “that Grand Gedeh County remains an unshakable fortress of President George Manneh Weah when it comes to showing loyalty democratically”
He said expressed optimism that going to the second round is a mere formality “because since the end of the first exercise we have not slept, we have been meeting and going some assessment on what was achieved and what was not achieved and these information have given us an insight what to do next to leverage on our first success”
“So far everything is on course but in addition to what you are asking for, I am informing you with confidence that we will increase the number of votes garnered in the first round by mobilizing our people to turn out so that we reach our target of minimum 85% attendance at the polls.
“We have 60 thousand plus registered voters and we look forward to getting the minimum 50,000 people casting their ballots favorably for President Weah on November 14, 2023 and there is a huge possibility of achieving the feat because our people are re-energized and resolved to take this victory to the end”, he said.
Responding to a question what could be some of the reasons why the voters turnout was not that high, Dowaity said why there could be some other challenges like the road condition, apathy by the citizens that there was no serious challenge from any of the opposition political parties against President Weah played out but his team has identified the solution to making sure that every qualified voter in the county will cast their ballot on that day.
“There were some issues definitely but surprisingly one of them is the level of apathy exhibited by the people. A lot of our people were saying there was no need to come out to vote because there was no way the President could be defeated in the county so any number that turns out will still ensure the President’s victory.
“That turns out to be a very expensive mistake. The issue was not getting just a win for the President, but getting a decisive vote haul that will put him in a very comfortable lead.
“We are going to the second round to vote as if to say it is only the votes from Grand Gedeh County that will make the President to be reelected. In other words, the number you will see or hear from the National Elections Commission(NEC) will be too impressive”, the young campaign lead said.
He said beyond the votes from the county, Grand Gedeans who have valid voter’s card everywhere have been mobilized to turn out at the centers where they registered to vote for President Weah while also engaging in massive door to door, community to community campaign to get their friends, neighbors, workmates, associates, family members, etc enlisted in the process of re-electing President Weah on November 14, 2023.
“Besides talking to our people in the county, we are also spreading the campaign message to our people in other places in Liberia to engage in a serious campaign to recruit voters for the President and on November 14, they should turnout to vote for the President.
“We owe our people and this country the commitment to return Weah democratically so that the country will consolidate on the gains of the first term. Basically the first term was geared towards providing a strong foundation for development to flourish in every sector of the economy”, he said.
He dismissed the insinuation that the people of Grand Gedeh County and by extension people from the Southeast are voting based on regional chauvinism because the President failed the region.
“This is not true. Our people, like their other compatriots, voted for the President based on the conviction that in him, Liberia has hope to become a greater nation despite the challenges experienced in the first term and that he did not fail the Southeast.
“We will record that in 2017, the President won in 14 out of the 15 counties during the second round and that showed his national acceptability while in opposition. In the 2023 elections, he topped the entire results from the elections that were contested by 19 other persons. You can’t say those votes only came from the Southeast.
“Secondly, the President inherited a country that has no strong foundation from which development could take off easily. He used the first term to set up the foundation and I can tell you in the second term, we are going to have unprecedented development.
“Despite the departure of UNMIL, he has been able to maintain the peace using the government security architecture; despite the departure of virtually all the donor funding that existed in the previous administration, he was able to stabilize the economy, he has increased the number of enrolment in our tertiary institutions through the free tuition initiative, the roads are being built that will open up the country to enhance development, more women are in prominent positions in the country to amplify his agenda for gender equity, he decriminalized the draconian gag on the media, improved the business climate that is investment friendly, among others.
“These are indicators that the President performed exceptionally during his first term and will do better in the second term. So we are calling upon our people to be part and parcel of the history that is about to be made”, he said.
When asked why he thinks Grand Gedeans will yield to his call, Dowaity jokingly said, “For Grand Gedeans, voting for Weah in every election since 2005 is like a culture, it is a way of life of our people to vote for him and you can go in the archives to see for yourself; just wait for November 14, I will be proven right”
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