The Standard Bearer of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP), Mr. Alexander B. Cummings has warned that the outcome of October 10, 2023, General and Presidential elections is at risk, requiring timely interventions by all stakeholders to ensure it is free, fair and transparent.
Cummings said, besides ensuring the new elections timetable are strictly adhered to, the Census debacle, the newly introduced biometric system of voting, and the issue of adequate funding to the electoral process should claim the concerns of stakeholders including opposition Political leaders and international partners.
Cummings said these challenges and inadequate funding for the electoral process are causes for concern and must be satisfactorily addressed to guarantee that the outcomes of the elections truly reflect the will and aspirations of the Liberian people.
The CPP Standard Bearer reiterated the concerns when he spoke on Sky FM 50-50 talk show to further elucidate on President George Weah’s State of the Nation address delivered on January 30.
Cummings said the urgent and timely resolution of these issues which are critical to the conduct and outcome of the October 10 elections will certainly avert any eventuality of court litigation.
He pleaded with opposition politicians and political parties for unity in purpose to address these challenges, which if ignored, have the potential to undermine the credibility of the October 10 elections and put the country’s democracy at risk.
The CPP Standard Bearer also pleaded with Liberia’s international partners and stakeholders including ECOWAS as well as the Liberian Government to ensure timely and adequate funding of the electoral process that will guarantee free, fair and transparent conduct of the October 10 General and Presidential elections.
On the general outlook and economic well-being of the Liberian people and nation, Cummings spoke of the unbearable hardship and suffering endured by the vast majority and the insensitivity of the President and few public officials living extravagant lifestyles.
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The CPP Standard Bearer said even officials in the Weah’s administration have publicly detested and denounced the terrible economic conditions, extreme suffering and poverty, which the masses are enduring as well as the filthy conditions of Monrovia and other cities across the country.
Cummings said amidst the deplorable living conditions, the President’s wickedly cut the salaries of civil servants and after five years only to realize and admit, that over 15,000 were being paid below government minimum wage. That a government is paying its employees below its own wage standards speaks to how disconnected the president is from the suffering majority of our destitute population.
He described the President’s acknowledgment of civil servants’ salary cuts as an act of deception and hoped that his promises to return their money will be speedily executed to relieve them of the extreme suffering and poverty.
Cummings said as Liberians move to elections, there are reports that the Weah administration is using public resources to appease voters for his reelection.
He however urged Liberians to take and eat their money because it’s their own money after all but must exercise great judgment and reject them at the ballot box, which comes October 10, 2023.
