LEAD: Togolese President Gnassingbe in Liberia to mediate on election issues

01 Novembre 2017

Monrovia, Liberia, November 1 (Infosplusgabon) -  Togolese President and Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Faure Gnassingbe has arrived in the Liberian capital, Monrovia, at the head of an ECOWAS mission over electoral issues, an ECOWAS source  said  on Wednesday.

Liberia is scheduled to go to the polls on 7 November in a presidential runoff between ex-football star George Weah and incumbent vice president Joseph Boakai.

However, the fallouts from the first round of voting on 10 October are threatening the peace and security of the country that is only slowly emerging from a bloody civil war that claimed tens of thousands of lives, destroyed its infrastructure and literally halted its progress.

President Gnassingbe's arrival in Monrovia comes as the Supreme Court has ordered the National Elections Commission (NEC) to halt all preparations for next Tuesday's runoff until a suit filed by Charles Brumskine, who came third in the first round of voting, is determined.

The NEC has been making arrangements towards the preparedness of the runoff but complaints have been lodged to it following the proclamation of the official results of the first round election by Alternative National Congress (ANC), All Liberian Party (ALP) and Liberty Party (LP).

On 29 October, at a press conference organized by Unity Party (UP), All Liberia Party (ALP) and Liberty Party (LP), Mr. Wilmot Paye, Chairman of UP, alleged direct interference by the Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and called for dissolution of the NEC.

Among the anomalies they claimed during the press conference are widespread and systematic fraud; incompetence of the NEC; and inefficiencies and deliberate actions and/or inactions on the part of NEC that prevented 1,000 of Liberians from voting.

The parties cited meetings President Sirleaf held with members of the NEC and low level Magistrates to influence their role and decisions during the election process, among other acts.

But in a swift reaction, the Office of President Sirleaf termed them as “baseless”. Ironically, the ruling UP was part of the allegations against President Sirleaf.

“We like to be specifically clear, that at no time has President Sirleaf interfered with the electoral process, or the outcome or the results of the 2017 general and presidential elections,” Presidential Press Secretary, Jerolimek Piah, said.

He said the allegations were “works of agents provocateurs which should be condemned and disavowed by all peace-loving Liberians”, noting that this was also “an attempt to undermine Liberia’s democratic process”.

On 31 October, 2017, the Liberty Party candidate Charles Brumskine and his running mate filed a petition for writ of prohibition to conduct next Tuesday's election alleging violation of the Constitution and electoral law, fraudulent acts and gross irregularities during the 10 October first round.

The NEC and members of the Boards of Commissioners have been summonsed to appear before the full bench of the Supreme Court on 2 November to show cause why the petitioners' petition as prayed for should not be granted.

As a consequence, NEC has been instructed by the Supreme Court to stay any and all actions in respect of the pending runoff election scheduled for 7 November.

FIN/INFOSPLUSGABON/ATR/GABON 2017

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