Members of the Liberian opposition parties have called what may appear as an emergency meeting ahead of the 2020 special senatorial election, amid plans by the ruling party to make Weah a priest over the nation.
The meeting which had in attendance leaders of Liberia’s three major opposition political parties was held behind closed door to discuss the way forward for the coming mid -term Senatorial election due October next year.
Leaders of former ruling Unity Party (UP), Liberty Party (LP) and the Alternative National Congress (ANC) met in Congo Town, suburb of Monrovia to discuss the formation of a political alliance against ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) in the 2020 Special Senatorial election.
The parties were represented by their respective chairpersons, secretariat and senior officials at the Unity Party Headquarters in Congo Town for the meeting.
The leaders are also said to be looking beyond the 2020 senatorial election in an effort to find one political line against the ruling CDC in the 2023 presidential election.
Opposition Liberty Party Vice Chairman for Political Affairs Mr. Abraham Darius Dillon says the decision is intended for the opposition community here to build one front and battle for more seats to be won at the level of the Liberian Senate next year.
According to Mr. Dillon, the ruling party will start to smell defeat for the 2023 presidential election if the 2020 senatorial election result massively favors the opposition bloc.
15 of the 30 seats at the Liberian Senate will be contested next year, which may see half of the senators on Capitol Hill battling to retain their respective seats.Just after the 2017 presidential and representatives elections, the government has conducted four by elections so far.
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Independent candidates have won two seats in those by – elections and the ruling CDC has been certificated for one seat because the second seat for which it was declared winner is still being disputed at the National Elections Commission (NEC).
Meanwhile LP’s Dillon argues that it offers no good for the opposition community and the rest of Liberians to complain of government’s corruption failure, misuse of state’s properties and violation of the Liberian Constitution if they (opposition) cannot come together to build one front against the CDC at the poll.He believes that if opposition form an alliance, the CDC of President George Manneh Weah will not retain the presidency for another six years.
Dillon intimates that the votes collected by the three political parties during the 2017 Presidential election showed that CDC will be no match in the next election.
The Unity Party under the standard bearer-ship of former Vice President Joseph Nyumah Boakai took second place after the CDC, followed by the Liberty Party which had Cllr. Charles Walker Brumskine as its standard bearer.
Additionally, the opposition Alternative National Congress of businessman turned politician, Mr. Alexander Cumming took the fifth position respectively.
“If we were to add votes collected by these three political parties, my little knowledge in mathematics tells me we will have more votes than the CDC and the likelihood of us winning first round is possible,” says Mr. Dillon.
According to him, the major challenge now is whether they can work together for the 2020 election and hold together for the 2023 presidential race.
Since the discussion for a possible merger between the three leading opposition parties, sources close to them suggest that the standard bearer of the ANC, Mr. Cummings has become the chief financier for the deal with the anticipation of taking the standard bearer post in future presidential election.Unity Party, Liberty Party and All Liberian Party are said to be close to sharing the vice chair positions and the secretariat, respectively.
By E. J. Nathaniel Daygbor–Edited by Winston W. Parley
