• CDC Dispels Weah, Tarpeh ‘slip up’ …Terms Saturday Political Rally as Pre-inauguration of Weah, Source: INSIGHT
• Monrovia Turns Blue Tomorrow –CDC Folds Campaign with ‘Victory Rally’, Source: The ANALYST
• WOSI Reinforces Calls for Passage of Anti FGM Law, Source: Daily OBSERVER
• ECOWAS, Liberia stakeholders civic education confab, Source: New DEMOCRAT
• Liberia’s new logging law criticized, Source: New DEMOCRAT
• Korkoya lied to us – Senators, Source: New DEMOCRAT
• Weah insulted Nimba people – UP chairman, Source: New DEMOCRAT

• Liberians Expected Honest, Peaceful Election, Source: Gallup News
• Liberia Police Chief Prestigious International Security Award, Source: News Public Trust
• Central Bank Denies There’s Cash Shortage, as Inflation Rises to 12.4%, Source: News Public Trust
• UL Prof. Wilson Tarpeh Denies Social Media Reports of Fallout with Weah, Source: News Public Africa

CDC Dispels Weah, Tarpeh ‘slip up’ …Terms Saturday Political Rally as Pre-inauguration of Weah, Source: INSIGHT

With four days to the conduct of the runoff elections, the main opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) has debunked rumors circulating in some quarters of the country that the party’s standard bearer, Senator George Weah physically attacked and ordered CDC campaign manager Prof. Wilson Tarpeh out of the premises of the party, this paper reports.

Responding to the accusations Thursday during a press conference, CDC vice chairman for mobilization, Mulbah Morlu described the claims as a smear campaign by individuals in the ruling Unity Party (UP) to distract the attention of CDCians ahead of the 26 December runoff poll. “Prof. Tarpeh remains the Campaign Manager of the CDC and moreover to that, he is still in control of all financial activities of the party,” Morlu said.

The CDC vice chairman at the same time used the occasion to disclose that the party will have the inaugural ceremony of its political leader on Saturday, 23 December ahead of the runoff. According to him, the climax of the party’s rally would be a symbolic inaugural ceremony of Senator Weah as president by the people of Liberia, whom according to him, will turn out to vote for him massively in the runoff.

Monrovia Turns Blue Tomorrow –CDC Folds Campaign with ‘Victory Rally’, Source: The ANALYST

The main opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) has announced in Monrovia that it plans to carry on its final victory rally involving thousands of its supporters at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Stadium in Paynesville on Saturday, 23 December. At a news conference Thursday held at the CDC’s headquarters in Congo Town, the party’s vice chairman for mobilization, Mulbah Morlu, disclosed the 2017 campaign and mobilization team of the CDC has been instructed by the governing council of the party to plan a major 12-year political struggle rally to climax the 2017 runoff election and rallies the Coalition.

According to Morlu, CDC partisans in Montserrado County and adjacent counties have been asked to assemble at the sports stadium in Paynesville for the pending victory rally, which is expected to bring together partisans and supporters from communities in the 17 electoral districts of Montserrado County as well as partisans from adjacent counties, including Bomi, Grand Bassa, and Margibi counties to join the CDC final victory rally.

WOSI Reinforces Calls for Passage of Anti FGM Law, Source: Daily OBSERVER

Women Solidarity Incorporated (WOSI) said it is disappointed that women and girls are still being subjected to inhumane and gruesome treatment in the name of tradition or culture in the country. WOSI executive director Mariam Deah said while the organization respects cultural practices, members feel that components of culture that dehumanize women and girls must be addressed in accordance with international and regional instruments that Liberia is a signatory to. Ms. Deah said: “WOSI considers some portions of traditional practices as negative especially the practice of the female genital mutilation (FGM) or female circumcision, and child marriage.”

In the Domestic Violence Act that was passed by both houses, the component on FGM, section 16.21, was politically manipulated and willfully deleted by members of the Senate and the House, she said. Read more

ECOWAS, Liberia stakeholders civic education confab, Source: New DEMOCRAT

Reports say ECOWAS National Office in Monrovia, along with the National Elections Commission (NEC), the Mano River Union (MRU), and other partners will host the second phase of CVE awareness exercise from the 21 to 24 December in Bomi, Grand Cape Mount, and  Grand Bassa. The event will target youth and students, motorcyclists, civil society, and community leaders among others.

Liberia’s new logging law criticized, Source: New DEMOCRAT

Two global environmental watchdogs have condemned a new law in Liberia that they say rewards logging companies at the expense of the people and called on donors to stop support to the country until the law is overturned. “The Liberian government has secretly given the country’s loggers a USD13 million tax break,” Global Witness and Tropenbos International said in a new report this week. They say the law has undone 15 years of reform in the timber sector.

Korkoya lied to us –Senators, Source: New DEMOCRAT

Senator Milton Teahjay has accused the chairman of the National Elections Commission (NEC), Jerome Korkoya of lying to the Senate when he was cited by that body this week. The Senate is expected to give its reaction today, according to the paper. On the final voter registration roll, the electoral commission was told by the lawmakers to clean-up the voter roll before the 26 December runoff can begin.

Weah insulted Nimba people – UP chairman, Source: New DEMOCRAT

The ruling Unity Party (UP) chairman, Wilmot Paye has criticized the main opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) presidential candidate, Senator George Weah when he reportedly told the people of Nimba County recently at an event that education was not important. “Nimba County has the highest number of teachers on government payroll; you cannot go there and insult the people,” Paye said in reaction to the comment. He added that education was one of the singular most important ways to change any country.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ON LIBERIA

Liberians Expected Honest, Peaceful Election, Source: Gallup News

Liberians vote Tuesday in the second round of a presidential election that so far has been mostly as uneventful as they expected. Prior to the first round of voting in October, 86% of Liberians believed the elections would be held peacefully; few expected the violence (6%) that has marred other recent African elections. They also had relatively high hopes for the legitimacy of the process, with their confidence in the honesty of their elections rising above a majority (55%) for the first time since 2007. Read more

Liberia Police Chief Prestigious International Security Award, Source: News Public Trust

Liberia’s Inspector General of Police (IGP), Gregory Coleman has been nominated to receive the 2017 prestigious Golden Star Award for Distinguished Security Service in West Africa. The Award which is the 14^th edition will be conferred on the IGP on 6-9 February 2018 in Kigali, Rwanda at an exhibition that is expected to take place at the Radisson Blu Hotel and Convention Centre. Read more

Central Bank Denies There’s Cash Shortage, as Inflation Rises to 12.4%, Source: News Public Trust

The Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) says there is no shortage of cash in the country’s banking system but rather “a glitch in the release of currency” while announcing an intervention to stabilize the Foreign Exchange rate. In the past week, depositors at various local banks have found it difficult to withdraw cash on demand, due to reports of serious liquidity problem at commercial banks as well as the CBL. But CBL executive governor, Milton Weeks told a news conference in Monrovia on Thursday, “there was a glitch in releasing of currency for about a week but the problem has now been resolved.” He clarified that there has not been any shortage of cash at the country’s Central Bank and in the banking system but only a delay. “There is currently no pending request for the release of cash from commercial banks,” the executive governor told Journalists. Read More

UL Prof. Wilson Tarpeh Denies Social Media Reports of Fallout with Weah, Source: News Public Africa

An executive of the main opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), Prof. Wilson Tarpeh has reacted to social media reports alleging Senator George Weah has ordered him not to enter the premises of the CDC. According to the social media reports, Senator Weah suspended Tarpeh from the CDC on claims that he squandered over USD62,000 intended to pay the party’s poll workers across Liberia.

Reacting to the reports by telephone from Nimba County where he is accompanying Senator Weah, Prof. Tarpeh said the social media reports are “a blatant lie” concocted by not only his detractors but also those of the CDC political leader to narrow their chances of winning the pending runoff election. “These social media reports are mere propaganda being orchestrated by individuals, who are bitter about a George Weah presidency,” Prof. Tarpeh said. Read more