The Liberian Senate has overwhelmingly voted for the Public Procurement Concession Commission (PPCC) to single source purchase materials for the impending 2020 midterm senatorial election. A joint committee headed by Grand Cape Mount Senator, Cllr. Varney Sherman has recommended that since the government has no money now for the election, the National Elections Commission should deal with vendors outside of bidding process specifically, deal with business entities the Commission has had previous transactions with to ensure the polls are held.
At the same time Plenary has endorsed its joint committee report on the postponement of the 2020 midterm senatorial elections from October 13 to December 8, 2020. The body took the decision Friday, June 5, in its regular session on Capitol Hill, which followed a report submitted by the joint committee on Autonomous Agencies and Claims, Petition and Judiciary.
“The elections and referendum scheduled for 13 October 2020 should be postponed to December 8, 2020; the evident is that because of COVID-19 and the lack of funding in 2019 and early 2020,” the committee’s report said.
The report furthered that the legislature should as quickly as possible process funds for the elections and the referendum and that the executive should make said fund available in order to ensure there is no delay or interruption in the two processes. The committee stresses that the Final Registration Roll (FRR) be cleaned with the involvement of all political parties in keeping with the Supreme Court ruling in the 2017 general and presidential elections.
“A clean-up process for the 2017 FRR should be timely conducted and political parties should be involved in the process in order to enhance the legitimacy and authenticity of the 2017 FRR for use of the 2020 mid-term senatorial elections and referendum.”
However, Grand Bassa County Senator, Jonathan Kaipay moved that the report be endorsed into a resolution and sent to the House of Representatives for concurrence for onward submission to the President and said motion was passed by the full plenary. Fifteen of the 30 incumbent senators are going for the midterm elections. By E. J. Nathaniel Daygbor –Editing by Jonathan Browne
