The Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) announced Monday that it has suspended its planned sustained protest which was scheduled to begin on Wednesday October 28, 2020.
The CPP, which comprises the former ruling Unity Party (UP), Liberty Party (LP), the All Liberian Party (ALP) and the Alternative National Congress (ANC) on October 8, 2020, announced to the general public that due to the failure of theSupreme Court to hear its Writ of Mandamus, it would have embarked on a sustained nation-wide protest onWednesday, October 28, 2020, to demand the cleaning of the Voter Roll and the cancellationof the just-ended Voter Roll Update, which it claimed was marred by fraud.
The CPP in a statement issued Monday said as it began to mobilize its people for the planned protest, several new developmentsoccurred, thus necessitating the suspension of the protest.
According to the parties the protest have been suspended pending Supreme Court Ruling- the court, the parties say has agreed to hear their cases filed andissued a stay order on the process pending the outcome of the hearing.
“The matter washeard last week and the Supreme Court ruling is expected to be announced shortly, the statement said, adding, “Pending NEC (National Election Commission) decision on the validity of Voter Roll Update- The formal ruling from theNEC on the validity of the just ended voter roll is pending, after a hearing by the NEC.
The Collaborating Parties say the NEC decision may be subject to appeal, thus creating the need to exhaust alllocal and regional legal remedies.
The opposition parties also noted that the arrival of ECOWAS Technical Team- Last week to work with the National Elections Commission to assist with the cleaningof the Voter Roll is another reason for the suspension of the protest.
The statement quotes ECOWAS as saying the President had requested technicalassistance for the cleaning of the Voter Roll.
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The parties further noted that other factors leading to the suspension of the protests include ongoing consultations with the Inter-Religious Council.
On Friday, October 23, 2020,the Inter-Religious Council and the Collaborating Political Parties held a consultativemeeting, to discuss the concerns of the CPP. The IRC requested time to intervene andhold further consultations with other political parties and the NEC, during the course ofthis week.
The CPP also cited regional instability as a factor. It said though “not directly tied to our electoral concerns, the ongoingprotests around elections disagreement in Guinea and Ivory Coast have createdincreased volatility of the region’s stability. As such, a number of regional andinternational appeals from our partners to allow for intervention has been considered.
“We have made significant progress in achieving our goals—without the protest. Therefore, itis logical to await the outcome of these developments, before proceeding with the protest if necessary.
Free, fair, and credible elections are important pillars for sustaining our peace and security. Therefore, we will continue to engage with ECOWAS, the Inter-Religious Council ofLiberia and other partners, to ensure that the right things are done by the National ElectionsCommission, so as to protect and sustain our peace and security. However, our next course ofaction will depend on the outcome of the various engagements, the ECOWAS technical teamand final decision of the Court and the NEC primarily around the cleaning of the Voter Rolland the validity of the just ended Update process, the statement added.
