Monrovia – Alexander Cummings’ Alternative National Congress has finally joined the opposition Liberty Party, All Liberian Party, and the ruling Unity Party in backing a complaint against the National Elections Commission alleging massive election irregularities during the first round of the presidential and legislative elections.
Report by Rodney D. Sieh, [email protected]
In a statement Tuesday, the party’s Chairman Lafayette O. Gould urged partisans to remain calm as the legal options are being explored.
Mr. Gould said Following the October 10th election results, the party’s Standard Bearer, Mr. Alexander B. Cummings, informed the public of the ANC intention to explore challenging the integrity and subsequent validity of the recent election outcomes.
“To this end, we engaged expert assistance and conducted a detailed review of our findings.”
Although the final findings do reveal gross and wide spread improprieties, Gould said, they came after the deadline for filing complaints with the National Election Commission (NEC).
“Nonetheless, he said the party intends to to catalog and release its findings to the public in an effort to help improve our electoral process and illustrate the Alternative National Congress’ commitment to democracy, transparency and better governance.
He added: “The ANC would like to also state its support of the Liberty Party’s official complaint to the National Elections Commission.”
Mr. Gould said the ANC and its Standard Bearer promises to continue to be dedicated to creating change and reform in Liberia.
“We ask all partisans and Liberians to please continue to remain calm during this very difficult period in our democracy.”
“We must remain steadfast and peaceful in the preservation of the peace and stability of our great nation.”
The ANC’s backing comes as the Supreme Court is looking into the complaints filed by the Liberty Party.
On Monday, Justice-In-Chamber, Justice Kabineh Ja’neh could neither deny or issue a Writ of Prohibition prayed for by opposition political party Liberty Party (LP) for the National Elections Commission (NEC) to halt the run–off Presidential elections on November 7, 2017 due to an alleged claim from the party of irregularities and fraud discovered in the just-ended October 10th Presidential Legislative Elections.
Justice Ja’neh said this in his ruling made on Monday, October 30, 2017 after conducting hearings into the petition filed to the high court by the party, which took the third place from the October polls earning 149, 495 votes representing 9.6% out of the over 2m registered voters across the 15 counties.
“Let me make it clear that I cannot issue an alternative writ of prohibition in this matter because it is purely a constitutional matter; what I will do is to forward it to the full bench of the Supreme Court that will reach a decision whether to issue the alternative writ or not,” said Justice Ja’neh who told the parties that they will be hearing from him by Tuesday, October 31, 2017.