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Politics News

NEC alarms over voters trucking

The electoral magistrate of Bomi County has alarmed of mass trucking of voters to the county, something that is said to be creating tensions among Bomi residents.

Speaking at a two-day training on elections reporting held in Tumanburg, Bomi County by the National Elections Commission on Monday September 14, Mr. Luther Dean noted that on several occasions he had received complaints from residents of voters being trucked mainly from Monrovia and neighboring Sierra Leone, but fact about which politicians are involved in hiring voters has not be established.

According to him, the first town from Monrovia into Bomi has become hot zone for truckers and legitimate residents are complaining of difficulty in getting in queue to register as a result of the multitude of people lining up daily. The December 08 Special Senatorial elections will see two former speakers of the House of Representatives – incumbent lawmaker Edwin Melvin Snowe and the political leader of the Liberian People Democratic Party, Alex Tyler both battling each other in the county.

Incumbent Bomi Senator Sando Johnson is seeking re-election that would put him ahead of the financially influential dou. Information gathered so far by this paper shows that Snowe and Tyler are foremost aspirants for the race in Bomi. News of voters trucking comes at a time the National Elections Commission commences it’s much anticipated Voter Rolls Update exercise ahead of the December 8th elections.

The mobile registration exercise currently ongoing in the country is expected to last up to September 25, to be followed by political campaign in October.

The trucking also comes as the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) officially complained to the NEC, expressing unsettling concerns over the electoral body’s decision to launch a Voters Update Exercise with the adoption of a Mobile Process Exercise which will be carried out without any reference to other political parties that are equal competitors in the race.

A youth leader Alvin Dazoe Wesseh said, citizens leaving their respective districts in Montserrado to register and vote in western Liberia is attributable to lack of love and high rate of poverty, amongst other.
Meanwhile, the National Elections Commission says it has received two notifications for vacancies in the 54th Legislature.

The communication from the House of Representatives said the two vacancies were caused by the deaths of Montserrado County electoral district#9 Representative Munah Pelham Youngblood and Representative Jay Nagbe Sloh of the Sinoe County electoral district#2, respectively In a press release, the NEC said the notifications from the House of Representatives, signed by its Chief Clerk Mildred N. Sayon were received on 9 September 2020.

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The House of Representatives in its Communication to the Chairperson of the NEC, Davidetta Browne Lansanah stated, “This notice shall constitute the Commission’s legal authority hoping that the constructional and statutory mandates of the Commission are upheld”.

Article 37 of the Constitution of Liberia states that in the event of a vacancy in the Legislature caused by death, resignation, and expulsion or otherwise, the presiding officer shall within 30 days notify the National Elections Commission thereof.

The Article states, the National Elections Commission shall not later than 90 days thereafter cause a By-Election to be held; provided that where such vacancy occurs within 90 days prior to the holding of general elections, the filling of the vacancy shall await the holding of such general elections.

By E. J. Nathaniel Daygbor– Editing by Jonathan Browne

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