15 November 2017

LIBERIA MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

EU Calls for Swift End to Political Standoff, Sources: Daily OBSERVER, FrontPage Africa, INSIGHT, and The NEWS

The European Union (EU) and its member countries have joined the field of jittery stakeholders frantically seeking an expeditious path out of the potentially volatile political contention, to a smooth democratic transition for Liberia’s stability and economic growth. Liberia’s international partners, including the African Union Liaison Office (AULOL), the Office of the ECOWAS Commission as well as the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), last Monday expressed weariness of the situation if it is not resolved soon, which could affect the much anticipated smooth transition process that should be the first in over seven decades.

In a joint statement in Monrovia, the three organizations called for calm, stressed that the legal path is the best way to go. They also called for the expeditious adjudication of the ongoing election disputes. But as concerns about the future of the country continue to pour in from many quarters during the prolonged impasse, the EU in a press statement said the constituted time for the transition must be adhered to. The statement was issued jointly by the EU Delegation to Liberia and the Embassies of EU Member States present in Liberia (France, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom.) Read more

DJP wants AD-hoc elections commission set up, Source: The INQUIRER

The leadership of the opposition Democratic Justice Party (DJP) has called on the National Elections Commission (NEC) to consider setting up an ad-hoc elections commission to conduct the pending runoff presidential election which is being put on hold by the lawsuit from the Liberty Party (LP). The standard bearer of the DJP, Dr. Isaac Wiles speaking in an interview recently, said he does not support demands by the ruling Unity Party (UP) that the NEC recuses itself from the election fraud claim investigation. Instead, Dr. Wiles proposed that the aggrieved parties, LP, All Liberian Party (ALP), and the Alternative National Congress (ANC) should each designate a member to serve on the ad-hoc commission.

Two former NEC chairpersons to testify for UP, Source: The New Dawn

Two former chairpersons of the National Elections Commission (NEC) are due to testify as witnesses for the ruling Unity Party (UP) in the ongoing elections fraud and irregularities case filed by the opposition Liberty Party (LP) at the NEC in Monrovia. Frances Johnson Allison and James Fromayan have both served as chairpersons at the NEC at separate times under the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf administration. Their names were presented at the hearing recently by the ruling party to form part of its 15 witnesses expected to testify before the electoral commission. The UP is backing LP's claims of elections fraud and irregularities that have stalled a presidential runoff which was due to be held on 7 November before a Supreme Court decision halted it pending the outcome of the ongoing case. Read more

NEC Executive Director refutes UP lawyers’ claim of “no serial numbers” as board affirms ruling against ALP, Source: The INQUIRER

The paper reported that the hearing of the ruling Unity Party (UP) election fraud claim is continuing at the National Elections Commission (NEC). Reports say UP lawyer, Varney Sherman Tuesday asked the Commission’s executive director, Lamin Lighe to produce used presidential ballot papers to be examined as part of UP evidence. But the NEC lawyer, Frank Musa Dean dismissed Sherman’s request and insisted that the ruling party has no evidence to support its accusation saying, it came on a “fishing” expedition.

Publish Voter Registration Roll, NEC Told, Source: Daily OBSERVER

The National Elections Commission (NEC) now has no recourse but to publish the Voter Registration Roll, the Liberians for Change Movement (LCM) said in a statement issued Tuesday in Monrovia, this paper reports. The group’s chairman, John Brownell, said the request is necessary because it is abundantly clear that the legal challenge to irregularities in the 10 October elections in Liberia’s current electoral system is important for action to be taken now to prevent those mistakes in the future.  Mr. Brownell said Liberians must put politics aside and know that there are incompetence, greedy, and corrupt tendencies that have produced a voting process without a published official voter registration roll.

“We are asking for the official voter registration roll to be published at least before the runoff as a benefit to the nation and as a positive result to challenge the current stalemate,” the LCM chairman said. Read more

ALP applauds Ellen for returning to NPFL base, Source: New DEMOCRAT

The opposition All Liberian Party (ALP) has thanked President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf for returning to the base of the former rebel, National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) of ex-president Charles Taylor now serving 50-year jail term in the United Kingdom for war crimes. The party in a press statement stated that President Sirleaf’s decision to support the main opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) was an indication of her returning to the defunct NPFL. Mr. Taylor was said to have told some of his associates in a telephone call from his prison cell to return to his former ruling National Patriotic Party (NPP) after some of the party officials broke away. The NPP is in a merger with the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) and the Liberia’s People Democratic Party (LPDP) that formed the Coalition.

“Avoid politics in courtroom”- County attorney advises, Source: The INQUIRER

Making remarks at the opening ceremony of the 2nd Judicial Circuit Court in Grand Bassa County Monday, County Attorney, Samuel Jacobs urged court lawyers to do away with politics in the courtrooms when dispensing justice. He said politicians were in the practice of intervening in cases involving parties who break the law and urged them to stop.

More Representative Incumbents Reelected in 2017 than 2011, Source: Daily OBSERVER

The Daily Observer reports that despite a low approval rating of members of the House of Representatives, internal political fights including the removal of the House Speaker on two occasions, more incumbent lawmakers were reelected this year, as opposed to the 2011 representatives’ election. In the past nine years (from 2007 to 2016), two speakers were removed from their positions — Edwin Snowe (Montserrado County Representative) was compelled to resign in 2007, while J. Alex Tyler (Bomi County Representative) was replaced in 2016, which legal pundits said was responsible for mischaracterization and the negative branding of the Legislature. The recent recount of ballots in Nimba County Electoral District #8 resulted in Representative Larry Younquoi being reelected, putting the reelected incumbents at 30. Read more

President Sirleaf Consoles US President Trump, Sources: Executive Mansion News, INSIGHT, The New Dawn, and The NEWS

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has sent a message of condolence to US President Donald Trump, following the horrifying news of the death of at least 26 persons and injury of about 20 others in a shooting incident on 5 November. According to a Foreign Ministry release, President Sirleaf in the message to President Trump said: “The people of the Republic of Liberia join me in extending to you and the people of the United States, especially the families of the victims, deepest condolences for the irreparable loss sustained from this tragedy.” She prayed that the Almighty God will grant President Trump and the people of the United States courage, strength, and fortitude during this difficult period of mourning. Read more

Corruption allegation taints Ellen’s Nigeria statue, Sources: Daily OBSERVER and New DEMOCRAT

A group has asked for the investigation of allegations of incompatibility and/or apparent conflict of interest situation and abuse of office involving Nigeria’s Imo State governor Rochas Okorocha. The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has asked Dr. Muhammad Isah, acting chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau to carry out the probe on how the governor may have spent over one billion of public funds to build statues of Presidents Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Jacob Zuma of Liberia and South Africa respectively. The group stated that the spending on statues and apparent misuse of public resource may have violated international standard of constitutional provision on code of conduct for public officers.

Man found dead at NTA bus stop, Source: The New Dawn

A man believed to be in his 50s was found dead at a National Transit Authority (NTA) bus stop at the Caldwell intersection on Bushrod Island, outside Monrovia on 13 November. Dozens of people at the NTA waiting station appeared amazed when they met the unknown man thought to be in a discomposed situation. Some eyewitnesses said the deceased had been suffering from a prolonged and severe foot problem and has been frequent in the area in recent times before his demise. The corpse has been removed from the area by the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC) Read more

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ON LIBERIA

ECOWAS, AU, and UNMIL Worried Over Timeline for Democratic Transition, Sources: The Bush Chicken, The INQUIRER, and The New Republic

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union (AU), and the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) have expressed deep concern over the timeline for the country’s democratic transition, amid the current political situation. Results of the October 10 elections have since been announced, declaring no winner for the presidential race. Senator George Weah of the Coalition for Democratic Change and Vice President Joseph Boakai of the ruling Unity Party won more votes than the rest of the 18 candidates. They were qualified to participate in a runoff election on November 7. The polls, however, did not take place because of a writ of prohibition ordered by the Supreme Court. Liberty Party, which took a distant third place position in the first round of the elections, petitioned the court for the prohibition.

The party had filed a complaint to the National Elections Commission alleging that the elections were marked by fraud and gross irregularities. The Supreme Court ordered NEC to hold off on a runoff election until it can investigate Liberty Party’s complaint. In a joint statement on Friday, the ECOWAS Commission in Liberia, the AU’s liaison officer, and UNMIL said, while they all support and encourage the channel of due process followed by the aggrieved parties, NEC, and the Supreme Court, they are concerned over the prospects of a significant delay in bringing the litigations to their closure. Read more

Liberians Say They’re Frustrated Over Election Delay, Source: GNN Liberia

As the case between the National Elections Commission (NEC) and the opposition Liberty Party (LP) on alleged election fraud drags at the NEC, Liberians have been expressing their frustration over the delay of the process, questioning the reality of the matter. A survey conducted by a team of GNN Liberia reporters around the country discovered that Liberians have voiced out their feelings on the delay of the process, and wondered why the NEC continues to slow down the case.

At the same time, some Liberians who spoke to our reporters welcomed the decision of the LP to complain to the Supreme Court on the alleged frauds and other election irregularities against his party during the October 10 elections. Read more

New Rule for Admission to Law School Violates Article 6, Sources: All Africa and The New Republic

The presiding judge at the Second Judicial Circuit Court in Grand Bassa County has frowned on the discriminatory, bias, and unfair practice of the new rule set by the dean of the University of Liberia’s Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law in admitting students from the exception of the formal grade point as required.

Judge Yamie Quiqui Gbeisay cited that the interview requirement should be dropped and that admission at the law school should be based purely on academic performance as anything other than this runs contrary to the spirit and intent of Article 6 of the current constitution of Liberia which requires equal access and opportunity for all Liberians. Judge Gbeisay made the assertion at the court’s opening when he delivered his charge at the opening of the November Term of Court in Buchanan. 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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