University of Liberia Students React to Supreme Court Run-off Ruling

Monrovia – The Supreme Court’s ruling on the case between the Liberty Party and the National Elections Commission (NEC) seems to be raising more eyebrows in the Liberian society.

Report by Edwin Genoway, Jr – [email protected]

Liberians from all walks of life are discussing the ruling in their own way they understand the current process. Students of the University of Liberia (UL) are no exception to the ongoing debates on the court’s ruling and the electoral process.

UL students, during their leisure times usually gather in separate groups discussing the court ruling on their campus.

The Fendell Campus of the university is one of those campuses that students gather every time to debate the merits and demerits of the case and the general electoral process.

FrontPage Africa’s microphone caught up with some of the students as they argued among themselves.

There were mixed reactions from them. 

Many of them said the standard bearer of the Liberty Party (LP), Cllr. Charles Brumskine, was right to run to the Supreme Court to complain, while others believe that the LP leader should had remained calm and not run to court for the runoff to go ahead.

Edward Norman in the Geology Department welcomed the court’s ruling and praised Cllr. Brumskine for using the rule of law to fight his case.

“That’s what we want to see in our country for people to use the rule of law instead of using violence and destroying our properties,” he noted.

“Liberia belongs to us all; no one group of people owns this land.

The issue of Cllr. Brumskine taking NEC to court was not wrong but he could had had a second thought and take into consideration the future of our beloved country and disregard going to court,” Charles Moses, a Social Science student stated.

“For me, Cllr. Brumskine was wrong to hold the entire country hostage and allow himself, to be used to stop our election. I think he was trying to save face because he did not do well in those elections.

Here is a man, who has contested for the Presidency three times and lost. In this gone Presidential and General Elections, he didn’t even come second, so he’s shamed,” Daniel Wesseh. 

The impact of the complaint filed by the Liberty Party has led to the immediate halting of the runoff election between the Unity Party (UP) and the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) by the high court.

With the runoff election not having a set date now due to the stay order, many have the fear that if the runoff is not held until January 16, 2018, Liberia might result into setting up an interim government, which would conduct the rerun election.

Human rights lawyer Tiawon Gongloe said if the tenure of the government expires by law and the election is not held until January 16, only the Senate will have functional power by law, and in that case, the Senate Pro Temp will become the Head of State.

But it is not yet clear if the current Senate Pro Temp, Mr. Armah Jallah, will still be serving as Pro Temp up to January 16.

The Liberian Senate is scheduled to go to election before this date to elect a new Pro Temp.

It is reported that Unity Party Chairman emeritus, Cllr. Varney Sherman, is eying the Senate Pro Temp position as well.

If Sherman wins the election, he might likely take over as interim leader, if.