• NEC Defends Contingency Ballots, Source: The New Dawn
• LNP Draws Line against Elections Violence, Source: INSIGHT
• Women Yearn for Peaceful Elections, Source: INSIGHT
• To Sustain Liberia’s Peace & Stability: Senator Sherman Seeks Votes for Boakai-Nuquay Ticket, Source: INSIGHT
• Supreme Court orders new trial for Matilda Parker, Source: The New Dawn
• Tarlesson Farmers frustrated over World Bank donations, Source: The New Dawn

NEC Defends Contingency Ballots, Source: The New Dawn

This paper reports that amid increased public concern and fear in some political parties over the printing of excess ballot papers for Tuesday’s presidential and representative elections, the National Elections Commission (NEC) says “printing contingency ballots are consistent with industry standard practice.”

NEC chairman Cllr. Jerome Korkoya, addressing a news conference Wednesday in Monrovia, reassured political parties, stakeholders, and voters across the country that there is no question of the integrity of the number of ballot papers being deployed in polling places across the country ahead of the polls. Cllr Korkoya further assured there are full accountability mechanisms in place to account for every single ballot paper. “Every ballot will be accounted for at opening and closing of polling places. Those that will be used, not used and spoilt will be fully accounted for in a transparent and consistent manner,” the chief elections officer added.

LNP Draws Line against Elections Violence, Source: INSIGHT

Addressing journalists Wednesday in Monrovia, Police spokesperson, Sam Collins disclosed that the Liberia National Police (LNP) has put in place all necessary mechanisms to safeguard the conduct of Tuesday’s presidential and legislative elections, adding more police officers have been dispatched to areas considered “hard-to-reach zones” of the country, especially the southeastern region, to provide adequate security to those who will turn out to vote and others who will not turn out to elections day.

Mr. Collins named some of those hard-to-reach counties as Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Maryland, Rivercess, River Gee, and Sinoe. He pointed that the LNP’s action is part of its deployment plan for the electoral process.

Women Yearn for Peaceful Elections, Source: INSIGHT

This paper reports that barely five days to the much-heralded presidential and legislative elections scheduled for Tuesday, 10 October, Liberian women including peace and pro-democracy campaigners have intensified their call for the polls to be held in a non-violent and peaceful atmosphere across the country.

Led by the influential advocacy group, Women in Peacebuilding Network (WIPNET), the Liberian women have been fasting and praying for the success of Tuesday’s elections in which 19 men and one woman are vying for the presidency, while more than 900 others are seeking 73 public offices in the House of Representatives.  The fast and prayer exercise began on 23 September and are expected to be concluded on the eve of the elections.

To Sustain Liberia’s Peace & Stability: Senator Sherman Seeks Votes for Boakai-Nuquay Ticket, Source: INSIGHT

The chairman emeritus of the governing Unity Party (UP), Senator Varney Sherman, has assured the UP-led government’s commitment to sustaining Liberia’s peace and stability, stating that presidential candidate Joseph Boakai and his running mate, J. Emmanuel Nuquay, are the best candidates with the requisite experience to move Liberia forward. He spoke Wednesday when he addressed UP partisans in the Sinkor community in Monrovia.

Supreme Court orders new trial for Matilda Parker, Source: The New Dawn

The Supreme Court has ordered a new trial for suspended National Port Authority (NPA) managing director Matilda Parker, citing trial judge Blamo Dixon’s failure to have conducted a thorough investigation into a jury tampering claim made by the prosecution. The Supreme Court’s decision on Wednesday comes after reviewing the matter based on prosecution’s petition filed for a writ of certiorari through which the high court makes corrections on errors made by the lower court.

The high court affirms the decision of Justice-in-Chambers Jamesetta Howard Wolokollie, granting the writ of certiorari to correct the prejudicial and reversible errors committed by Judge Dixon. Ms. Parker and then comptroller at the NPA Christiana Kpabar Paelay were jointly indicted on multiple crimes of economic sabotage, theft of property, and criminal conspiracy in the amount of USD837,950. The prosecution accused the pair of conspiring and awarding two contracts to Mr. Deneah M. Flomo and his Denmar Enterprise, valuing USD500,000 and USD300,000 respectively.

Tarlesson Farmers frustrated over World Bank donations, Source: The New Dawn

Tarlesson Farms Incorporated (TFI), a national farmer cooperative with over 200,000 farmers and producers has expressed serious frustration over the manner in which donations from the World Bank, USAID, AfDB, and other partners have been spent in the country.

A release quoting the group’s president Roosevelt Tarlesson, lauded the international partners for the grant made available intended for youth employment, economy recovery, farmers, and to end hunger, among others. But Mr. Tarlesson said the people for whom those funds were intended have not benefited underlining economic hardship and worsening living conditions of Liberians. The TFI president explained that the World Bank purchased 10,500 tons of crop seedlings for the 2015 crop season at the cost of USD15 million to be distributed among farmers but very little seeds went to farmers across Liberia.