Monrovia—The Resident Judge of the 9th Judicial Circuit Court in Gbarnga, Bong County, Judge J. Boima Konto, today clarified his ruling regarding the disputed 2022 Press Union of Liberia (PUL) election. The clarification came during a conference held at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia, which was attended by the parties involved in the dispute and the Interim Committee overseeing the process.
Judge Konto, addressing the conference, stated, “I am neither modifying nor reversing my ruling; the Interim Committee is to clean up the voter roll and conduct a rerun of the election.” He emphasized that only those who participated in the 2022 election will be eligible to participate in the rerun, and there will be no new candidates.
The conference was convened at the request of the Interim Committee, which sought clarity on the Judge’s June 18, 2024 decision amid differing interpretations. Notably, only one party to the dispute attended the conference.
Judge Konto’s original ruling on June 18 nullified the results of the November 19, 2022 election and mandated a rerun to be held on or before October 18, 2024. He also ordered the formation of an Interim Committee composed of seven former leaders of the PUL and four media elders to oversee the cleanup of the voter roll, in accordance with Article 10, Section 7 of the PUL Constitution, and to ensure the conduct of fresh, free, and fair elections.
With the clarification, the Interim Committee remains in charge of the election process and is expected to release a revised timeline for the rerun in the coming days.
The Interim Committee reaffirms its commitment to restoring the integrity of the Union and ensuring a transparent election process