Monrovia – While the ruling Unity Party (UP) is teaming up with some opposition political parties for the cancellation of the October 10 presidential election results and calling for a rerun, other members of the opposition bloc are expressing confidence in the Coalition for Democratic Change’s (CDC) ability to lead the country.
Report by Lennart Dodoo, [email protected]
The CDC led by former soccer legend George Manneh Weah and the ex-wife of former President Charles Taylor, Jewel Howard Taylor topped the October 10 elections but failed to obtain the constitutional requirement of 50 percent plus 1 vote of the overall votes.
Senator Weah finished with 38.4 percent of the total votes while the Vice President Joseph Boakai of the Unity Party came second with 28.8 percent in the October 10 polls – thereby prompting a runoff with Unity Party.
However, the Unity Party in a joint press conference with the Liberty and All Liberian Parties on Sunday called for dissolution of the National Elections Commission (NEC) Board of Commissioners, citing incompetence, electoral fraud/irregularities and alleged interference by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
On Monday, The Movement for Economic Empowerment (MOVEE) headed by the former Governor of the Central Bank of Liberia, Dr. J. Mills Jones, who also participated in the election condemned the call for rerun.
Speaking at the endorsement ceremony, MOVEE Chairman, Mr. D. Maxwell Kemayan said the MOVEE is determined to continually engage the political processes and activities and therefore acknowledges there were irregularities during the October 10, however, the magnitude are negligible but not sufficient to nullify the results.
Mr. Kemayan denounced the call for rerun of the October 10 elections by the Unity Party, the Liberty Party and other members of the opposition bloc.
According to him, MOVEE acknowledges that there were irregularities during the October 10 elections, but the irregularities were not substantial enough to warrant a rerun of the elections.
“We thank the Liberty Party and other contending opposition parties for testing the veracity of the process, however, we warn that any attempt to cancel the results of the October 10, 2017 Presidential and Representative elections could reverse the democratic gains and render the state ungovernable.
Moreover; the Liberian people are absolutely not prepared for any undemocratic action that will destabilize and disrupt the peace in the Republic of Liberia,” he said.
According to Kemayan, MOVEE remains committed to the Ganta Declaration which intent is for the opposition bloc in forming alliance or coalition purposely to unseat the governing Unity Party.
Kemayan: “Beyond respecting the spirit and intent of the Ganta Declaration, the Movement for Economic Empowerment (MOVEE) is very much committed to upholding the spirit and intent of alternation of political authority and power as an important ingredient of democratization.
In a country where the private sector continues to remain strangulated and politically controlled by the Unity Party-led Government for the last 12 years, MOVEE will not be a part of any judgment in the name of election outcome that will contribute to exacerbate inequalities and economic disparity.
“Pursuant to a decision reached by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Movement for Economic Empowerment (MOVEE) based on extensive consultations; we the Executives, and members of the Movement for Economic Empowerment (MOVEE) have called you here today to reaffirm our commitment to an opposition victory for the 2017 Presidential and Representative elections.
In line with the Mandate of the National Executive Committee of MOVEE, the Movement for Economic Empowerment (MOVEE) hereby endorses and support the candidacy of Senator George Manneh Weah, Standard Bearer of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) for the Tuesday, November 7, 2017 runoff Presidential Election.
In furtherance of our endorsement and support to the CDC; we have therefore instructed all of the County Chapters and Auxiliaries of the Movement for Economic Empowerment (MOVEE) across the Country to work closely with the structures of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) across Liberia to campaign and vote Senator George Manneh Weah as the next President of the Republic of Liberia on Tuesday, November 7, 2017.”
He said the party’s leadership would work with the CDC in communities, across villages and towns in the country to ensure the retirement of the current ruling party in the November 7 runoff.