As nomination process for aspirants wanting to contest in the pending Montserrado County Senatorial and Representative by-elections intensifies in Monrovia, the National Elections Commission (NEC) anxiously awaits the National Legislature to pass its US$2.5 million budget submitted for both elections.
This paper gathers that while the NEC awaits the budget passage, political parties are already submitting names of would-be candidates, likewise individuals contemplating contesting as Independent candidates are doing same.
Under the elections law, candidates are required to submit copies of their supporters’ listing to the NEC and to publish same in several local dailies before being qualified to contest in an election.The pending by-election is necessitated by the death of Montserrado County Senator Geraldine Doe-Sherif, who died in Accra, Ghana, on 10 February following a protracted illness.
NEC Information Officer Prince Dunbar says the commission is working along with political parties and Independent candidates, while patiently awaiting the National Legislature to pass the budget submitted recently for the poll.
Dunbar reveals that while this is going on, NEC continues to interact with key stakeholders involved in the electoral process to stay in time for the conduct of the election without any hindrance whatsoever.He says the commission would be pleased were the Legislature to give timely consideration to the budget to ensure the process is held on July 2, 2019 as scheduled.
He adds that the commission also has a vacant seat for the House, which was created by the death of Montserrado County Electoral District #15 Representative, the late Adolp A. Lawrence, who died in car crash on 25 March on the Roberts international Airport highway in Margibi County.
Dunbar notes that considering the rainy season, which is already ongoing, it would be expedient for the Legislature to fast track passage of the budget to ensure these elections are conducted as planned. By Emmanuel Mondaye–Editing by Jonathan Browne
