10 candidates for R’cess by-election
The National Elections Commission (NEC) has released the Provisional List of 10 candidates for the Rivercess County Electoral District # 2 Representative By-Election, scheduled for 21 April.
The NEC released the list Tuesday, March 10th following the Nomination exercise of candidates desirous of contesting for the seat.
According to the provisional list, 10 persons have expressed interest in contesting the by-election in the district.
A press release issued in Monrovia Wednesday, said nine political parties are in the race, including the Congress for Democratic Change or CDC, Alternative National Congress or ANC, Unity Party, National Patriotic Party (NPP), and Union of Liberian Democrats.
Other political parties that have expressed interest in the race include Liberty Party, National Democratic Coalition, People’s Unification Party and the Movement for Progressive Change or MPC.
The Provisional List of Candidates also reveals that only one Independent Candidate, Hilary Mento, applied to contest the election while all of the candidates, except one, is a female.
The release said the NEC has already begun evaluating the list of candidates to ensure that only individuals, who meet the legal requirements, are allowed to contest the by-election.
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In line with the key dates for the Rivercess County representative by-election, final list of qualified candidates will be released on March 25, 2015, while campaign will run from March 25 to April 19, 2015.
The pending by-election is necessitated by the election of Representative Francis Paye as Senator during the December 20, 2014 Special Senatorial Election, thus creating a vacuum in Rivercess County Electoral District #2.
The poll is being conducted in accordance with Article 37 of the Constitution of Liberia, which states that, “In the event of a vacancy in the Legislature created by death, resignation, expulsion or otherwise, the Presiding Officer shall, within 30 days notify the elections commission thereof. The Elections Commission shall not later than 90 days thereafter cause a By-election to be held.”
