MONROVIA – Amid increasing complaints of a fraudulent voter roll update, an official of the Unity Party and the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP), Rep. Hassan Kiazolu (District #17, Montserrado County) has hinted at the possibility of the 54th Legislature of Liberia putting a halt to the entire voter roll process to avert the country from degenerating into chaos.
Since the National Elections Commission (NEC) launched the voter roll update to pave the way for the December 8, 2020 special senatorial elections and national referendum, the process has been marred by allegations of fraud.
Footages and pictorials from across the country show throng of would-be voters being trucked allegedly by senatorial candidates to register in their counties in a bid to reap more votes in the ensuing elections.
While opposing candidates accuse one another for the fraudulent acts, others said the NEC’s decision to conduct new registration for first time voters opened the floodgate to the rampant fraudulent acts, voter trucking and double registrations.
“The National Elections Commission should be the first line of integrity. But if those we trusted with the elections are encouraging fraud, then they themselves are fraudsters. And we cannot continue with them because the country will be degenerating into chaos.”
Rep. Hassan Kiazolu, District #17, Montserrado County
Rep. Kiazolu who chairs the Unity Party (UP) Legislative Caucus, addressing a reporters at his Capitol Building office said if the NEC, which should be displaying a high level of integrity in order to conduct a free and transparent election is unable to do so, then it will be prudent to take a stance that will stop the country from degenerating in to chaos.
“The National Elections Commission should be the first line of integrity. But if those we trusted with the elections are encouraging fraud, then they themselves are fraudsters. And we cannot continue with them because the country will be degenerating into chaos,” he said.
Rep. Kiazolu was speaking following a communication he wrote to the House through Speaker Bhofal Chambers, seeking the acquiescence of the House’s highest decision making body, the plenary, to invite the heads of the National Elections Commission to respond to a barrage of allegations of fraud that have marred the voter roll update since it was launched .
However, his communication was deferred to today, Wednesday for deliberations and subsequent actions.
Meanwhile, the Montserrado County District #17 Representative’s assertions followed the CPP announcement of taking both political and legal actions against the NEC for its refusal to clean up the Final Voter roll in keeping with the Supreme Court’s ruling of 2017 and the June 2020 Resolution by the Legislature.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the CPP accused the NEC of engaging a voter roll update that is characterized by fraud and threatened to file series of legal actions against the electoral body today, Wednesday, September 23, 2020.
The Parties said: “The CPP has considered taking both political and legal actions against the national Elections commission (NEC) of Liberia for its blatant refusal to clean up the Final Voter Roll in keeping with the Supreme Court ruling of 2017 and the June 2020 Resolution by the Legislature. On top of that, the NEC has engaged into a voter roll update that is characterized by fraud at every level which is only pilling up the messiness of the voter roll.”
The statement further mentioned that leaders of the four political parties which make up the CPP, including Alexander B. Cummings of the Alternative National Congress (ANC) Benoni Urey of the All Liberian Party (ALP), Senator Nyonblee Karngar Lawrence, Liberty Party (LP) and former VP Joseph N. Boakai of the Unity Party (UP) will the legal team the court and called on all of its partisans to form part to the march to the Supreme Court.
