09 October 2017

LIBERIA MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

Election Security Trapped on Highways Ahead of Tomorrow’s Election, Source: GNN Liberia

The GNN Liberia reports that dozens of elections security officers selected to oversee Tuesday’s elections around the country, including the Liberia National Police and Liberia Immigration Service are said to be trapped on the highway due to bad road condition. According to the GNN Liberia report, the security officers are trapped as a result of bad roads condition, while trucks hired to transport them have reportedly broken down on the highway. This situation has made it very difficult for the police officers to arrive on time for tomorrow’s elections.

Police person, Sam Collins confirmed the difficult situation but said the officers were on their way to their respective assigned areas throughout the country.

ECC Urges NEC to Remain Neutral, Deploys 2,170 observers to polling centers, Sources: Daily OBSERVER and FrontPage Africa

Ahead of tomorrow’s elections, the chairman of the Elections Coordinating Committee (ECC), Oscar Bloh has cautioned the National Elections Commission (NEC) to demonstrate the highest degree of neutrality and transparency in conducting, counting, tallying, and announcing of elections results.

Mr. Bloh reminded the Commission that Tuesday’s election is very crucial to maintaining peace and democracy in Liberia and will represent the first democratic transition of power from one government to another in more than three decades.

The ECC chairman said the NEC should treat all electoral petitions, disputes, and grievances in a transparent and timely manner to avoid any chaos.

According to Bloh, it is about time that the NEC provides detailed information to the public on how the system set up for the entry and transmission of results will operate as well as help reduce public fear and build confidence in the commission.

Meanwhile, the ECC will deploy 2,170 observers of different categories Tuesday including 89 long-term observers and 2,000 short-term observers in all of the 73 electoral districts. Out of the 2,000 observers, Bloh said 832 will be systematically deployed as Rapid Response Observers.

George Weah is solution for change, Source: The New Dawn

Partisans and supporters of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) have expressed strong conviction that their presidential candidate, Senator George Weah and his running mate, Senator Jewel Howard are the best team to transform Liberia.

They told The New Dawn over the weekend in Monrovia that Senator Weah is the only candidate who is determined to build roads, schools, clinics, and reduce the price of rice, among many challenges the country is faced with.

Accident strikes ANC supporters?, Sources: New DEMOCRAT and The New Dawn

Two females believed to be supporters of the Alternative National Congress (ANC) were reportedly involved in a tragic motor accident at the close of the party’s campaign on Saturday in the Fish Market area in Congo Town, a Monrovia suburb. Eyewitnesses said the victims were dressed in ANC party campaign T-shirts while riding on a motorbike, which later somersaulted several times.

The two females reportedly went unconscious following the incident, while the motorbike operator is said to have also been taken to the John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Sinkor under critical condition.  The eyewitnesses, however, attributed the fatal accident to an alleged carelessness on the part of the three victims who are yet to be identified.

Ellen Delivers Farewell Massage at Supreme Court Today, Sources: Daily OBSERVER and FrontPage Africa

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is today expected to attend her last opening of the Supreme Court, where she has served as a visitor. Being a visitor there, President Sirleaf has refused to make any remarks, whenever she is given the opportunity to speak at a Supreme Court opening.

However, this year’s opening cannot be compared to previous ones because it will serve as her last opportunity to speak about the judiciary, which facilities she has improved over the past 11 years, despite public outcry about reported corruption surrounding the judiciary.

INTERBNATIONAL MEDIA ON LIBERIA

Liberia’s Sirleaf plans life after presidency: Lecturing, farming, reading, Source: Africa News

Liberian leader Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is already planning for life after her time serving as president of the West African nation. According to the 78-year-old former joint Nobel Peace Prize laureate, she has plans in three major areas after handing over power to a successor – lecturing, farming, and reading.

Sirleaf told South Africa’s Mail and Guardian in an interview that she plans to step away from local politics after stepping down. She disclosed that she was considering an offer of a fellowship from the Georgetown University in the United States.

Some of the things we did, some of the decisions we made was to ensure that the peace was there because only peace would have enabled us to be able to do what we needed to do, no matter how short it is of the potential. The academic path is “to make sure I stay alert, intellectually alert, professionally alert,” – she also has plans for her farm, where she wants to spend more time.

Bong Candidate Promises to Give Development Funds Decisions to People, Source: The Bush Chicken

Silas Siakor, the long-time environmental activist and now a candidate for Bong’s fifth electoral district, has vowed a radical change in the way County Development Funds are disbursed if he is elected. Speaking on a panel on Radio Gbarnga on Thursday night, the candidate vowed to push for a reform of Liberia’s Budget Law to replace the current process to give the county’s people the power to decide what projects should be funded with the money.

Bong has received more than US$15 million in County and Social Development Funds between 2005-2014. After denying they had received a further US$200,000 from Arcelor Mittal in December, a Bush Chicken story forced George Mulbah, the chairman of the county’s legislative caucus, to admit the county had received the funds.

After stability under Sirleaf, Liberians long for more from next leader, Source: The Guardian

Loud voices floated under the torn blue tarpaulin keeping the rain out of the West Point Intellectual Forum, a cafe in Liberia’s biggest slum. On wooden benches, over bean sandwiches and strong attaya tea, men of all political persuasions were arguing about what Ellen – as they call Africa’s first female president – had done for them and what they could expect from her successor. 

“Ninety percent of us are suffering, 10% are enjoying the national cake of Liberia,” said Isaac Tamba, a staunch George Weah supporter, his vuvuzela at the ready for the footballer turned presidential candidate’s last rally before Tuesday’s election. “She failed us. Education is a mess. She failed in [fighting] corruption. If one minister is accused of mismanagement, they’re just recycled to another ministry.” 

Mafase Daweh disagreed. “I’m overwhelmed by what she has done in restoring the image of our country,” he said. “She’s developed a good network of roads, and infrastructure. And she’s decentralized the education system, so you don’t have to go all the way to Monrovia to go to university.”

Former President Mahama calls on Liberians to deepen democracy, Source: GNA

Former President John Dramani Mahama has called on Liberian authorities to deal with outstanding electoral issues before the polls on Tuesday, October 10. The issues, he mentioned, were logistics and deployment, security, and extra ballots that popped up few days before the polls. 

Former President Mahama said this when he led an Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Election Observer Delegation to meet President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia. He said he would also be meeting all stakeholders in the elections to find out their preparedness towards the Tuesday polls.

He said the success of the elections would depend on how both winners and losers would conduct themselves, particularly after the polls. "Winners must be magnanimous in their victory and losers must be gracious in their loss,” The Former President said.

Stakes high as Liberia prepares for presidential election, Source: TRT World

Millions of Liberians will head to the polls on Tuesday to elect a new president in what will be the first time since 1944 that there will be a democratic transfer of power in the country from one elected leader to another.

Africa's first female president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's term is coming to an end, paving the way for a new leader with a new vision. There are 20 candidates all vying for the presidency.

Former footballer George Weah, now a presidential candidate, has promised voters growth if they cast their ballots for him. "For our country to have roads, for our nurses to be paid, for the military to have logistics, for our police to have logistics, for our people justice to be now," Weah says, calling for people’s support.

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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