By Lewis S. Teh
The Standard Bearer of the opposition African Liberation League (ALL) Madam Sara Beysolow Nyanti, expresses optimism here that the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding involving 16 opposition political parties clearly indicates that members of the opposition bloc in Liberia are ready to put aside all differences in the upcoming election and work together for the benefit of Liberians.
“This signing ceremony is a seed, we the opposition bloc are planting to reunite this country; Liberia needs to be united”, she emphasizes.
Madame Nyanti made the observation this week at program marking the official signing ceremony of a MOU by opposition parties to protect and safeguard votes of Liberian electorate.
She lauds chairpersons and secretary generals of political parties that have signed the MOU, saying “I’m excited about this; it’s an opportunity to show to the Liberian people that we are coming together even though people believe that we can’t, but we can.”
The only female in the race among a total of 20 candidates for the Presidency, Madam Nyanti says the doors are open to everyone especially, for those willing to join the collaboration.
Parties that have already signed the MOU include the African Liberation League (ALL), Collaborating Political Parties (CPP), Democratic People’s Party of Liberia (DPPL), Liberian People’s Party (LPP), Liberia Restoration Party (LRP), Movement for One Liberia (MOL), and Unity Party, among others, pledging their commitment to jointly ensure a transparent and secure electoral process.
The MOU outlines a comprehensive framework of nine joint activities that the opposition parties will undertake to achieve their goal of ensuring fair and free elections.
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These activities include joint training of poll watchers, deployment of an independent poll watching team, united opposition presence at polling stations, establishment of an independent war room for tracking election results, and more.
Additionally, the parties have agreed to engage with the international community on security concerns and other related issues, should they arise.
Though the opposition parties seem confident that their joint efforts will protect votes and safeguard against flaws, keen observers are wondering whether they can mobilize enough resources to be able to deploy poll watchers in all 73 electoral districts of Liberia and to address potential challenges during the election, such as violence against opposition members.
The MOU signifies a commitment to cooperation and a shared vision for a more democratic Liberia. Editing by Jonathan Browne
