01 November 2017

LIBERIA MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

US confirms Jewel met State Department to release Taylor, Source: New DEMOCRAT

The New Democrat says US Acting Assistant Secretary Donald Yamamoto disclosed that Senator  Jewel Howard Taylor met with US State Department officials to beg for the release of her husband, ex-president Charles Taylor a  war crimes convict serving a 50-year jail term in the UK. It came about when Congressman Daniel Donovan Jr. of New York, according to report, asked Mr. Yamamoto about the meeting with Senator Taylor. Reports say the meeting validated accusations from ex-UN prosecutor, Alan White who claimed that Mr. Taylor has hidden millions of US dollars for elected Liberian president who would seek his release from prison.

Buhari, Ouattara meet on Liberia situation, Source: New DEMOCRAT

According to the New Democrat newspaper, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and his  Cote D’Ivoire counterpart Tuesday met in Nigeria to discuss situation in Liberia and Togo and other regional matters. The paper gives no further details.

Recount of Votes Today in District # 8 in Nimba, Source: The INQUIRER

The National Elections Commission (NEC) has announced that the recount of the votes in Electoral District #8 in Nimba County from the 10 October elections will take place today Wednesday.

The NEC said the recount of votes will be at NEC Magisterial Office in Saclepea at 10:00 am.  The NEC said the recount is due to the fact that the difference in the votes obtained by the candidate with the highest number of votes and his closest contender was less than 50. The Commission noted the decision is in keeping with its election regulations.

NEC dismisses ALP’s complaint, Source: The New Dawn

The Board of Commissioners of the National Elections Commission (NEC) Tuesday dismissed a complaint filed by the opposition All Liberian Party (ALP), which alleges fraud and malpractices during the first round of the 10 October elections. NEC communications officer Henry Flomo said the board’s decision is based on evidence produced by the ALP. Flomo said the party’s evidence is not enough to change anything in the first round of the polls in October.

‘CDC has pledged a peaceful campaign’, Source: Daily OBSERVER

At a press conference in Monrovia last Monday, the leader of the main opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), Senator George Weah urged his supporters to remain law-abiding and carry out a peaceful campaign. He also told them not to be deceived or distracted but to remain peaceful and prepared for the runoff election.

Health Ministry seizing voters’ cards?, Source: The New Dawn

What appears to be a clampdown on suspected aliens carrying Liberian national voters’ identification cards has been reported at the Health Ministry’s Vital Health Statistics Division (VHSD), The New Dawn reports.  An anonymous source, who says he is part of the exercise, explains that as a result of the operation, over 300 voters’ cards issued by the National Elections Commission (NEC) for the 2017 elections have been confiscated from suspected aliens going to obtain birth certificates at the ministry.

The source continues that those affected are individuals seeking Liberian birth certificates in a bid to obtain Liberian passports. According to the source, the voters’ cards were seized from people bearing names such as Mariaman Jollo, Mohammed Bah, Fanta Barry, and Diallo among others after they failed to prove their Liberian citizenship.

Liberia has an Aliens and Naturalization law that enables aliens desirous of becoming naturalized citizens to do so thru the court system.

However, the source also disclosed that the wife of a senior government official whose name was not disclosed and is allegedly an alien, had gone to the VHSD to obtain Liberian birth certificate but was rejected and her voter card confiscated. Read more

MRYP urges youth to reject violence, Source: The New Dawn

The speaker of the Mano River Youth Parliament (MRYP) Liberia Chapter, James Kolleh says the MRYP is in partnership with the Carter Center and USAID in rolling out peace messages across the country. Speaking on a local radio station, Mr. Kolleh says young people are being conscientized to refrain from electoral violence, noting that often young people are the ones that are quickly used in times of violence.

The MRYP speaker says the youth should continue to maintain a peaceful posture, and continue spreading peace messages as was done in the first round of the 10 October elections. “Election is not about war, it is not about castigating, it’s all about exercising our political rights, if a person has different views on the elections, it doesn’t mean you should fight that person,” Kolleh said. Read more

Police Explains the Deployment of Hugh Armed Police in Monrovia, Source: GNN Liberia

As residents and visitors of Monrovia and its environs are pondering over the deployment of huge armed police in the city at some strategic areas, which has created fear amongst citizenry and foreign residents, the police spokesperson, Sam Collins has been calling citizens not to worry about the deployment. Some residents of Monrovia who spoke to GNN Liberia Tuesday said the unceremonious deployment of huge armed police in the city and its environs is worrisome, wondering as to the motive of such action by the police. Read more

Security sector top brass in Senate executive session, Source: Daily OBSERVER

It has been reported that up to press time Tuesday, a top brass of the National Security Task Force had been in a closed-door meeting with the Senate Committee on Defense, Intelligence, and Security at the Senate. The outcome of the meeting was not disclosed but sources say the meeting was convened because of a letter from the chairman of the committee, Stephen Zargo. The content of the communication was not disclosed.

Supreme Court demands immediate compliance, Source: The New Dawn

The Supreme Court has instructed Criminal Court "C" to immediately comply with the judgment of the nation's highest court by resuming jurisdiction, empaneling a new jury and starting trial anew in an economic sabotage trial involving former National Port Authority (NPA) managing director Matilda Parker and her comptroller Christiana Kpabar Paelay.

In its mandate to the lower court filed on Tuesday, the high court says it was a reversible error for the trial judge at Criminal Court "C" to have only removed from the jury panel the three jurors implicated in a complaint of jury tampering rather than disbanding the entire jury in the face of clear indications that the rest of the sequestrated jurors might have been compromised.

Parker and Paelay were jointly indicted on multiple crimes of economic sabotage, theft of property, and criminal conspiracy for an alleged amount of USD837,950.00. The prosecution accused the indictees of conspiring and awarding two contracts to Deneah Flomo and his Denmar Enterprise, valuing USD500,000 and USD300,000 respectively. Read more

CDC, UP Given Ultimatum to Sign MoU, Source: The INQUIRER

Speaking at the signing ceremony of the National Youth Manifesto (NYM) where the main opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) and the ruling Unity Party (UP) were to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between them just in case any of them become victorious in the 7 November presidential runoff, the president of the Federation of Liberian Youth (FLY), Augustine Tamba gave the two parties 72-hour ultimatum to live up to their commitment by signing the NYM for youths all over Liberia.

Surprisingly, the program which lasted for over an hour at the Monrovia City Hall showed no sign of any of the two political parties’ top leadership to grace the occasion, but the program was graced by a stalwart of the ruling Unity Party, the UN representatives, other youth groups and international partners.

Veep Office Reacts to Fake News, Source: The INQUIRER

The Office Vice President Joseph Boakai has distanced itself from a document that is being circulated under a “George Saar” and claimed to have come from the Media Office of the Vice President. “This document is a fake instrument, written to sow seeds of discord and intended to undermine the credibility of the Office of the Vice President. At no time did the Office of the Vice President issue any release on the statement that was issued by the three political parties on Sunday. All official statements regarding the Unity Party come from the spokesperson of the party and not from the Press Office of the Vice President. We call on those coming into contact with this statement to condemn it and it should not be given credence. My name is not Saar, but George Saah, to show the level of criminality associated with this scheme,” the Office of Vice President Boakai clarified.

Liberia for Brumskine Endorses CDC, Source: The INQUIRER

This paper reports that an auxiliary, Liberia for Brumskine, which supported the presidential bid of Cllr. Charles Brumskine of the Liberty Party (LP) has endorsed the presidential ticket of Senators George Weah and Jewel Howard Taylor of the main opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) in the 7 November runoff.  The group said its endorsement of the CDC is predicated upon “our desire for change and the ability of the CDC to elevate our people from depending level of poverty.” It noted that “the Weah-Howard Taylor ticket is a fortress for mature and responsible leadership and a bastion to reconcile our people and offer hope tour generation.”

CSO Warns against Hate Messages, Source: The INQUIRER

A consortium of civil society groups in Maryland County, dubbed “The Maryland County Civil Organizations” has observed that there are people who are insulting and threatening others because they are exercising their constitutional rights by voting people who they prefer. The organization termed as wrong and unbecoming for anybody to engage in such acts, which are happening in tea shops and marketplaces, at this time and is likely to ferment chaos in those areas.

According to the group’s vice chairman, Boakai Norris, the consortium is appealing and advising people who are engaged in this unwholesome practice to desist and also urged political party representative candidates to prevail on their supporters to avoid insults and hate messages during these electoral times.

PUL, Political Parties Sign Joint Communique, Source: The INQUIRER

The Press Union of Liberia (PUL) and political parties have signed an agreement on safety and deportment of journalists during and after the elections, this paper reports. The signing of the agreement came about when reports in recent times suggest that the attack on free speech and journalists have increased by some partisans of political parties and unknown men. The statement said ‘as part of this democratization process, the Press Union of Liberia is ensuring the protection of free expression, journalists and media workers’ safety during and after the polls.

Woman, 75 dies in fire, Sources: Daily OBSERVER and The New Dawn

 

An elderly woman has died in a two-bedroom house destroyed by fire in the SKD Boulevard area. Grandma Kaibeh, 75 was unable to escape the fire that burned the house on Tuesday, according to eyewitnesses. Reports say the fire started from the room of the old woman and was said to have been caused by mosquito coil that probably fell on the floor mat.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ON LIBERIA

Liberia court halts runoff poll preparations, Source: BBC News

The Supreme Court in Liberia has ordered the suspension of next week's presidential election runoff so that it can consider allegations of fraud by a candidate who was eliminated in the first round of voting. The court has asked the candidate, Charles Brumskine, who came third, to present his case today.

The runoff, due to be held next Tuesday, is between the front-runner, former football star George Weah, and Vice President Joseph Boakai.

Mr. Brumskine's Liberty Party welcomed the court's decision. "This is a big step in the right direction," its chairman, Benjamin Sanvee, said in a statement quoted by Reuters news agency. "Thankfully, the court recognizes the gravity of the issues, and has taken action in defence of the law and democracy," he added. Read more

Liberia presidential vote halted by country's Supreme Court, Source: BBC News

Liberia's Supreme Court has ordered preparations for Tuesday's presidential runoff vote be halted amid allegations of fraud from an eliminated candidate. Ex-football star George Weah and Vice President Joseph Boakai are due to go head-to-head in the 7 November vote. But the Liberty Party's Charles Brumskine, who came third in the first round, has challenged the result.

Last month's election was the country's first independently run vote following the end of civil war in 2003.

The court has instructed the Liberty Party and the country's electoral commission to present their cases by Thursday. However, election commission spokesman Henry Flomo told the BBC it had not yet been officially informed of the Supreme Court's order. But if there is an injunction, the commission will abide by it as the Supreme Court is the highest court and its decisions are final, Mr. Flomo added.

International observers including the European Union had not raised concerns about the first round of voting.

Liberia Supreme Court hearing threatens to delay election runoff, Sources: AFP, Bloomberg News, and Daily Mail

Liberia's Supreme Court said it will summon the country's election commission on Thursday over a legal complaint backed by three political parties regarding the October 10 presidential election, potentially delaying a runoff vote.

In a document released late Tuesday, the Supreme Court called on the National Elections Commission to defend itself on November 2 against "constitutional issues raised" in the complaint lodged by an opposition party and backed by the ruling party of presidential candidate and incumbent Vice President Joseph Boakai.

Boakai is due to face former international footballer George Weah in the November 7 runoff vote, which was called after no single candidate won a majority of votes on October 10.

The Supreme Court also ordered the electoral commission to "stay any and all actions in respect of the pending runoff elections scheduled for November 7, 2017" pending a ruling on the allegations. 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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