Senjeh District, Bomi Count – Representative S. Gayah Karmo has lost his bid to keep Representative Edwin Melvin Snowe(Montserrado County, District No. 6) off the ballots in Bomi County.
Henry Karmo (0886522495) [email protected]
Mr. Washington V. Farmah, Magistrate for the National Elections Commission in Bomi, on Saturday dismissed the complaint filed by Representative Karmo but the incumbent Bomi lawmaker has vowed to appeal and file a bill of exception.
After reviewing the submissions made by the parties and listened to the arguments, the magistrate recorded Saturday that he observed that the law relied upon by the petitioner, Rep. Karmo, could not be applied to the respondent under the circumstances of the case.
Said the Magistrate: “The respondent cannot be barred from registering to vote outside of his district and at a location where he has established a residence. Wherefore and in view of what I have narrated above, the petitioner’s petition objecting to the registration of respondent at the Weakama Public School is hereby denied and dismissed.”
Rep. Snowe, it can be recalled sparked controversy recently when he registered at the National Elections Commission to contest for a representative seat in Bomi County’s Senjeh Distinct, which is currently being represented by Representative Karmo.
Karmo followed with a complaint of objection file with the Bomi Elections Magistrate in the county arguing that a sitting lawmaker in another county does not have the right under the Liberian Constitution to contest other county.
The incumbent lawmaker stressed that the Speaker of the House of Representatives as presiding officer had not notified the Elections Commission of any vacancy in the Electoral District #6, which Representative Snowe legally represents as an elected and endorsed lawmaker.
Rep. Karmo argued that Rep. Snowe’s bid is in violation of provisions provided under Article 37 of the 1986 Liberian Constitution, Snowe has elected for his own selfish gain, to create additional electoral district. “Sitting Representative Edwin M. Snowe hereinabove having been legally seated as a 73rd member of the Electoral District #6, Montserado County is the current Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee as well as a delegate of the House to the ECOWAS, receiving all benefits, salaries and legislative entitlements as a registered and domiciled honorable member of the District, Montserrado County,” Representative Karmo said.
Snowe emerged on the political scene in the aftermath of the 2005 presidential elections. Running as an independent candidate in the 5th district of Montserrado, Snowe was elected to the House of Representatives and subsequently he was elected as Speaker.
His tenure ended however in January 2007 after he was entangled in a bribery case and his colleague voted to impeach him. A few days later the Supreme Court ordered him to be reinstated, pending Snowe’s appeal.
Snowe argued at the time that the regular setting of the house was unconstitutional and was illegal and alleged that some votes against him were obtained through bribery and that the matter was not legitimate because it did not occur in a city, as required by the constitution.
On January 29, 2007, , the Supreme Court ruled in Snowe’s favor, describing his removal as unconstitutional. However, the legislators who attempted to vote Snowe out of his position reportedly intended to again attempt to remove him by holding another vote but Snowe resigned on Thursday, 15 February 2007 on grounds that he would not go to the township of Virginia for Legislative matters in keeping with article 40 of the Liberian Constitution which states: Neither House shall adjourn for more than five days without the consent of the other and both Houses shall always sit in the same city.