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GeneralLiberia news

‘Court inviting chaos’ 

By Lincoln G. Peters 

Opposition Collaboration Political Parties (CPP) has accused Liberia’s Supreme Court of inviting chaos due to its alleged silence on an elections-related matter filed before it.

The CPP recently petitioned the nation’s highest court seeking a halt to the ongoing Voter Registration. 

The CPP is concerned that a final census report has not been released to inform a legislative decision in setting threshold or re-demarcating electoral constituencies for the 2023 elections.

It filed the petition against the National Elections Commission (NEC) just before Voter Registration could begin. 

But the CPP claims that the Supreme Court is inviting chaos in the country due to its silence to listen, hear and adjourn its petition before the full bench of the court. 

The CPP said it is concerned about the constitutionality of the NEC’s action to conduct voter registration without constitutionally demarcating constituencies into which a voter is to be registered following the 2022 census. 

The CPP is made up of the Alternative National Congress (ANC) of Mr. Alexander B. Cummings, and a faction of the opposition Liberty Party (LP).

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They said it does not intend to delay the election process but argued that the lawsuit aims to prevent the electoral body from conducting voter registration in constituencies that have not been appropriately reapportioned to reflect population growth.

Since the CPP’s complaint was a field, the Supreme Court of Liberia is yet to hear the matter. The NEC this week began the Voter Registration exercise.

Amb. Lewis G. Brown, Liberia’s former Information Minister, now a stalwart of Mr. Cummings’ presidential campaign team, told journalists Thursday, 23 March 2023 that CPP is concerned about the silence of the Supreme Court.

At the press conference, Amb. Brown said they are drawing the attention of the citizens and the international community to the lawlessness of the country. 

“We are asking the court to act now and save the country from this embarrassment. The court is inviting chaos,” Amb. Brown warned. 

“A political collaboration with authority to do so, filed a petition with the Supreme Court of Liberia, drawing [its] attention to what [it] believes as unconstitutional behavior of the National Elections Commission,” said Amb. Brown.

He accused the NEC of proceeding wrongly, reminding it that it is charged with the authority to superintend and conduct a credible, and transparent election.

“The petition was filed on Friday, and today is Thursday, one week later, street jurors are discussing the petition the Supreme Court is yet to cause that petition to be heard or served on the relevant parties so that it’s heard and issues adjourned,” Amb. Brown noted.

The former Information Minister warned that lawlessness and chaos will only multiply in the country when those with the authority to act decide to not act, even when they are required to do so by the Constitution. 

” Election is a trigger for conflict. The best way now to do this is to honor the Constitution. We are appealing to the Supreme Court in this public manner to act and hear this petition because it’s inviting chaos and conflict,” he warned further. 

He wondered if the Supreme Court will hear elections fraud cases when it cannot hear this petition seeking to halt a voter registration process now.

“We don’t want the process stop but listen and hear. Let the law apply to all. My people, this thing we are playing with is fire and it can burn,” he concluded. 

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One Comment

  1. Are you saying the Opposition and Incumbent are the two groups already counted as majority of Liberian voters to constitute a win in a referendum? Are you deciding for the Supreme Justice on when the court should put cases on its deck? Not even another branch of government can do that. You must prove your allegation as an “invitation to chaos” to the public. What chaos? physical or mental? Remember the Supreme court is also owned by the Liberian people, all Liberians. The opposition, the incumbent, independent candidates, non-voters and voters, etc… LIBERIA. Census is not a reason to interfere with a constitutional start, an election process, sense Census starts before and continues after. What kind of “conflict”? You cannot conclude the constitutionality of a cased filed until it has been interpreted. If you do not have the authority to bring forth, why are you compelling? We will no longer encourage a minute group of people whose intend is to destroy the peace of the Liberian nation to infuse war in this land again. That actual factual leader will be elected.

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