Monrovia – Ahead of the run-off Presidential election, several political parties and actors have become to endorse either of the two candidates in the race.
Report by Kennedy L. Yangian, [email protected]
One of the two men, Senator George Weah of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) and Vice President Joseph Nyuma Boakai of the ruling Unity Party (UP), is poised to succeed President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, as the next President of Liberia.
The latest of the series of endorsements made so far has come from Nimba County Senator Prince Y. Johnson, who also contested in the October 10th Presidential and Legislative Elections on the ticket of one of the country’s newest political parties —Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR).
Senator Johnson, according to NEC obtained 127,666 of the total votes and earned 8.2 percent making him the fourth highest among the list of 20 candidates.
Mr. Johnson on Thursday, October 26, announced to pledge his support to George Weah’s bid in the run-off election because of opposition parties’ earlier plan to support any opposition party over the ruling party in a case when there is a run-off.
His endorsement of Weah has been criticized by human rights lawyer and one of the astute sons of Nimba County, Cllr. Tiawan Gongloe.
In a news conference at his Ashmun Street office Thursday, October 10, 2017 shortly after Senator Johnson had endorsed Weah’s Presidential bid, Cllr Gongloe stated that he was very surprised for the Senator to announce support for Senator Weah without consulting his people back in Nimba on his decision.
“The votes of the people of Nimba County are not marketable or transferrable and that the people of Nimba County don’t rely on politics to earn their living as they are people who are respected highly for their education.”
Despite Johnson’s support to Weah, Cllr Gongloe stated that Senator Weah will not receive any vote in Nimba because the people are not happy over the decision of their Senator and that Johnson’s announcement goes contrary to what the Nimba County Senator has been saying about the CDC and George Weah that if the CDC wins the election there will be war.
Cllr. Gongloe, who last week pledged support to the Presidential bid of Vice President Joseph Boakai, claimed that (Boakai) was the best candidate in the race and that opposing Weah’s Presidential bid is based on the fact that Weah has not prepared himself to serve as President of this post-conflict country.
The National Elections Commission (NEC) last week announced November 7, 2017 as the date for the run-off Presidential elections Vice President Boakai and Senator Weah.
NEC reported that out of the total of over 2 million voters registered to vote in the October Presidential and Legislative polls, George Weah scooped 596,037 of the total votes cast earning him 38 percent while VP Boakai bagged 446, 716 putting at 28 percent of the votes cast so far.
None of the two men was able to secure a 50 percent plus 1 vote to declare him a winner of the elections as required by law hereby prompting the run-off of the Presidential elections to determine a winner.