MONROVIA – Over fifty (50) defeated female candidates from the recent October 10, 2023, general legislative election have pledged their support for President George Manneh Weah’s re-election bid in the upcoming November 14 runoff election. These women, hailing from diverse political backgrounds, believe that President Weah is a better candidate than UP’s Joseph Boakai, describing him as a “feminist in chief.”
By Edwin G. Genoway, Jr (Contact: 231886458910 / [email protected]
A crowded hall in Congo Town hosted the women’s program, which garnered the presence of Minister of State Blamo Wesseh and Gender Minister Willimita Piso Tarr, along with several party officials from the CDC Women’s League.
Reading the endorsement statement on behalf of the group, Snorte Wilson Sherman said that whether they won or lost, the former female candidates take pride in their candidacy. She remarked, “Because those of us who contested as independent candidates and those who ran on party tickets know firsthand the challenges we faced in being nominated as candidates, not to mention running a campaign in a male-dominated space.”
Sherman emphasized that with the legislative election behind them and a runoff election scheduled for the top two presidential candidates, it is now up to the women candidates to decide how to guide their many supporters in the best interest of the women of Liberia and the country at large.
“As women candidates, we cannot evade or ignore this time of decision-making in our political landscape,” she explained.
Continuing, she said, “We had sat in our respective corners, the same corners we sought refuge in when faced with campaign challenges, when we felt excluded from the decision-making process of our country, and when we believed our rights had been violated.”
Madam Sherman noted that after careful consideration of the two presidential candidates, the women reached a decision to endorse one of them for the November 14, 2023, runoff election. This endorsement included women candidates who contested as independents and on various political party tickets with diverse ideologies and interests in the first round of elections.
Sherman stated that the women took pride in setting aside their different political interests to unite under a common goal: to uphold the legacy of female empowerment and to support the only woman (VP Jowel Howard Taylor) standing on the ballot.
“The message of female participation was central to what the female candidates conveyed to their constituents during their campaigns,” she added. “We intend to carry the same message back to our people, emphasizing the significance of having a female in a position of high decision-making in our country.”
She further noted, “Our principles, goals, and values have guided us from the outset of our decision to run for office, and we remain steadfast in our commitment.”
With only one presidential ticket providing a place for a woman at the decision-making table, these women are delighted to endorse the Weah and Jewel ticket. They stress the importance of upholding the legacy that all female candidates contested for by supporting another female.
The petition statement was handed over to Minister of State for Presidential Affairs Wesseh Blamo, who will deliver it to President George Weah.