MONROVIA – Monrovia was locked down for hours, thousands of supporters filled the streets in party paraphernalia as they swamped towards the Antoinette Tubman Stadium (ATS) to hear President George Weah accept his re-nomination to run for President in the October elections.
By Lennart Dodoo, [email protected]
“Mr. President, we have come to let as a coalition to let you know that your people (the three parties making up the Coalition) have agreed in unison and have declared that there is no vacancy for the Presidency in October 2023,” said Mulbah Morlu, chairman of the ruling Coalition.
He added, “With this document, they have come in one word to assure you of your continuity on the ticket to secure another six years.”
The National Chairman Moses Y. Kollie of the Liberia People Democratic Party (LPDP) raised the motion for the President to be renominated, which was seconded by the NPP’s Jewel Howard Taylor.
The Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) comprises the Congress for Democratic Change, the LPDP headed by former Speaker Alex Tyler and the NPP.
Pres. Weah, at the rally, underscored the need to be given more time to exhaust the plans in his government’s Pro-poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD), noting that “Rome was not built in one day”.
“The challenges of leadership have been enormous, but in each and every one of these challenges, I have seen opportunities to make things better, and to bring permanent improvements to the lives of all Liberians. This transformation agenda, as captured in our national development plan, the Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD), is on the course but will take some time before it is fully realized. As they say, Rome was not built in one day,” he said.
The Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development 2018 to 2023 (PAPD) is the second in the series of five-year National Development Plans (NDP) anticipated under the Liberia Vision 2030 framework. It follows the Agenda for Transformation 2012-2017 (AfT). It is informed as well by lessons learned from the implementation of the Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy 2007 (iPRS) and the Poverty Reduction Strategy (2008-2011).
Pres. Weah believes he has made tremendous process in his governance of the country and has taken bold steps in order to bring about the transformative change that Liberia needs to grow and to prosper.
He said, “Some of these initiatives have represented new strategic approaches to development, and some of them again were tried and tested formulas for nation-building. But they were all designed to work together to lift Liberia and Liberians to a higher standard of living.
“And now, as we come to the end of the term to which we were elected, it is my intention to seek a second mandate from the Liberian people to continue the good works of our hand and to complete our unfinished but imperative agenda. I am sure that they will respond positively to our quest. After all, they did this once, based on our promise of Change for Hope. I am sure that they will have even more reason to do so, now that they have seen the “change that you can depend on”.
Pres. Weah promised his supporters and the country that if elected for a second term, he would peacefully leave the presidency without vying for an unconstitutional third term.
“On a more serious note, before I close, I want to tell you that if the Liberian people grant me a second term, they should prepare themselves to embrace another leader when that term ends. Our Constitution does not permit third terms, and so I will gladly stand down in 2030, and hand the gavel of the Presidency over to any leader that has been duly elected by the Liberian people. This is a solemn pledge that I make to you today, and it is a pledge that I am committed to honor and respect.”