02 January 2018

LIBERIA MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

Women Group Laments Ellen Failure to Make FGM Punishable by Law, Source: FrontPage Africa

According to FrontPage Africa, when President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was elected as Africa first female president, there were blisses on the faces of women and young girls on grounds that she will target harmful traditional practices and abuse of women and young girls. With the Gender Ministry and regulatory authorities, there were some measures to prohibit and reduce the increase of rape and violence against women cases. According to the Gender Ministry, there’s dangling number of rape cases, as persistent non-support, domestic violence, and FGM still on the increase in the country. Something, a woman against FGM says they are disappointed because the 12 years of leadership excluded issues that are affecting them.

Maima Robinson, head of the organization says FGM has not claimed the attention of the outgoing government. “We are frustrated that the 12-year leadership of President Sirleaf, we still have females circumcised without their consent.” She spoke at a program in collaboration with the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) on the theme “Strengthen ties to proffer FGM.” 

Ms. Robinson says it is geared toward building a strong tie to make FGM punishable by law. “Female circumcisions hasn’t been abolished but are actively being practiced in almost all counties and it is disheartening.” Read more

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ON LIBERIA

George Weah asks opponent to nominate candidates for appointment in his government, Sources: Premium Times and Today

n a move that suggests a desire to unite the country after the recent presidential run-off election, the president-elect of Liberia, George Weah has asked his opponent to suggest capable candidates for appointment into his government. The former football star who won a landslide in the December 26, 2017 run-off election, visited his opponent in the election and the outgoing vice president, Joseph Boakai. Mr. Weah wrote in his Facebook page that he visited Mr. Boakai on New Year’s Day as “a sign of solidarity and goodwill”, saying the election was over and that Liberia was the true winner.

“I informed him that Liberia is the true winner and that we must all work collectively in the best interest of our Country,” he wrote. “I further intimated that he’s a man of impeccable character and experience and that his expertise will be needed in order to move our Country forward. I further assured him that he will be granted due courtesy according to the law as a statesman and outgoing VP. “Finally, I did suggest to him to put forth his people that he believes are capable of helping us move Liberia forward. Happy new year to you all,” he wrote. Read more

President Sirleaf Describes Boakai As “Peaceful” In Her New Year’s Message, Source: News Public Trust

In her last New Year’s message as President, Mrs. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf at the weekend praised her deputy, Joseph Boakai for conceding defeat, describing him as “a peaceful public servant”.

Their ruling Unity Party (UP) lost massively to George Weah’s Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) in the December 26 presidential runoff election, amidst a serious rift in the UP, with Sirleaf being accused of betraying her party and supporting Weah in the 2017 political contest.

This is a claim she has repeatedly denied. But the strained relations between her and Mr. Boakai became more visible in the run-up to the polls. The vice president said on radio that he was “guilty by association” because some of those seen as enemies of President Sirleaf in the governing UP were his allies. Read more

CDC Extends Olive Branch To Members Who Defected, Source: News Public Trust

The national executive committee of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) has extended an olive branch to all its renegade members who left the party some time ago. After its decisive win in the just-ended presidential runoff election, the CDC wants all of its former members to return home. In the run-up to the 2017 elections, a number of top guns in the main opposition CDC defected and joined the ruling Unity Party (UP) and other opposition political parties. Prominent among them is Senator Geraldine Doe Sheriff, Information Minister Eugene Nagbe, Kanio Bai Gbala, among others.

But Acarious Gray, CDC secretary-general emeritus and a re-elected Representative of Montserrado County disclosed that the party leader George Weah and executive committee members took the decision to embrace runaway members just before the December 26 runoff. Read more

Liberia: The Rise of George Weah, Source: Vanguard

George Weah’s emergence as Liberia’s President-elect after the December 26 run-off election generated considerable interest among Nigerians for a number of reasons. Number one is George Weah’s popularity. George Weah The first African footballer to win the Ballon D’or, FIFA Player of the Year, three-time African Footballer of the Year, ex-Monaco, ex-Paris Saint-Germain, ex-AC Milan, Chelsea, Manchester City, former protégé of Arsene Wenger, virtually every football fan in Nigeria had a feeling of connection with the Liberian football star turned politician and President-elect.

In Nigeria, football is the most uniting element within the public space; thus, once it became apparent that George Weah was set to become the 25th President of Liberia, the social media in Nigeria went into an overdrive. The Liberian President-elect probably got more congratulatory messages from Nigerians on Facebook and Twitter. Read more

President-elect George Weah: What's next for Liberia?, Source: Al Jazeera News

A peaceful transition of power in Africa's oldest republic is cause for optimism, according to analysts, but major challenges lie ahead for Liberia's President-elect George Weah. A former international football star, Weah tapped into a yearning for change and widespread discontent to win this week's presidential runoff in a landslide.

Boosting the economy will be especially important for the new president, since many of his supporters - young, perennially unemployed or underemployed, and struggling financially - are those most in need of opportunities, said Robtel Neajai Pailey, a Liberian academic. "You've got a very marginal, small group of people who are doing exceedingly well and then a large majority who are just barely scraping by," Pailey told Al Jazeera. "And that large majority, a large population of that is the under 35-year-old who showed up in large numbers to elect Weah." Read more

CAPP congratulates President-elect Weah, Source: Daily Trust

The Council of African Political Parties (CAPP) has congratulated the newly elected President of the Republic of Liberia, George Weah, over his victory at the recent election. President of the council, Hajiya Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, in a message, urged the former World Footballer of the Year to be dedicated to the development of his country and the continent.

“We are confident that your well-deserved victory will mark a new dawn for the good people of Liberia who have stood by you against all odds. The CAPP is happy to identify with the hope you feed into the aspirations of Liberians all over the world because the political and socio-economic development of the African continent is at the forefront of our mandate. We eagerly look forward to actively collaborating with your excellency and your party, the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC),” Aliyu said. Read more

Disclaimer
 

This media summary consists of selected local media articles for the information of UN personnel. The public distribution of this media summary is a courtesy service extended by UNMIL on the understanding that the choice of articles included is exclusive, and the contents do not represent anything other than a selection of articles likely to be of interest to a United Nations readership. The inclusion of articles in this summary does not imply endorsement by UNMIL.

 

 

 

 

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