Who replaces Weah & Taylor

Twenty-seven days to the Senatorial by-elections in Bong and Montserrado Counties, the National Elections Commission declares political campaign officially opened, as of Monday, 2nd July.

The by-elections are intended to replace President George Manneh Weah and Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor, who both left the Liberian Senate after they won the presidency in 2017.

NEC Chairman Jerome George Korkoya, addressing a news conference in Monrovia on Monday, notes that campaign activities commenced yesterday, and will end on July 29th. The commission anticipates that all 15 candidates running in both counties will campaign peacefully and adhere to electoral guidelines and regulations.

“I am pleased on behalf of the board of commissioners to declare campaign for the 2018 senatorial by election open. The campaign period commences today and will end at midnight on Sunday, July 29, 2018. Candidates in the by-elections are advised to go about their campaign in a peaceful manner void of violence and in keeping with the laws of the country and more especially, those controlling the electoral process,” Chairman Korkoya declares at the NEC headquarters in Monrovia.

He discloses that 80 percent of pre-packed materials for the elections arrived in the country on 01 July aboard a chartered flight, while the remaining 20 percent is expected on or before Saturday, July 07.

Meanwhile, the Board of Commissioners has qualified 12 candidates for the by-elections beginning with Bong County: Josiah Marvin Cole of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change, Fairnoh Theo Gbilah, Prince Togar Kollie, Dr. Henrique Flomo Tokpah, and Orando Koimene Zarwolo.

For the Montserrado County race NEC qualifies Bernard Benson a.k.a DJ Blue, Madam Josephine George Francis, Saah Joseph of the Coalition for Democratic Change, Finley Karngar, Mark Augustine Keshen, Representative Yekeh Kolubah and Michael Doe Tipayson.

Meanwhile, the commission expresses gratefulness to the Liberian government for its support to the conduct of the by-elections. “We are pleased to inform you that the government has made allotment for the remaining US$690,526. This amount is being processed for disbursement to the commission.

The amount brings the government’s total contribution to US$2, 200, 464,” Korkoya reveals. He also discloses the commission has hired about 12,000 Liberians to serve as election workers for the two by-elections.

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