Monrovia — Ahead of the upcoming October 10 presidential and legislative elections in Liberia, political parties, including the governing Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), and legislative aspirants have begun employing different strategies and methods to win the hearts and minds of eligible voters in the country amid an intense hunt for potential running mates.
The CDC of incumbent President George Manneh Weah, which is seeking reelection, would face a heavy challenge at the polls from the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) of Mr. Alexander Cummings and the former ruling Unity Party of Ambassador Joseph Nyuma Boakai. The CDC comprises the former ruling National Patriotic Party (NPP), Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), and the Liberian People's Democratic Party (LPDP), while the CPP consists of the Alternative National Congress (ANC) and the Liberty Party (LP).
The Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR) of Senator Jeremiah Koung of Nimba and the Liberian People's Party (LPP) of renowned Liberian lawyer Counselor Tiawan Gongloe are two political forces that may also determine the votes in Nimba if they decide to contest separately. Counselor Gongloe has been canvassing in the leeward areas, intensively spreading his anti-corruption crusade for the election of the "broom" revolution. However, the lack of better finances remains a major challenge to his ambition to become Liberia's next President. Despite this, he seems to be appealing to a portion of the religious community and some members of the intellectual class with this new form of politicking.
As for Senator Koung, he seems reluctant to sell his party for the presidency. He is reported to be holding talks with the UP for the running mate position, even though his political party's godfather Senator Prince Johnson has made it clear that the MDR will contest the presidency. Following a war of words between him and the President, Senator Johnson has vowed to ensure that the MDR does not support the second term bid of President Weah. If his words are anything to live by, opposition political parties contemplating doing business or negotiating with him will have to be mindful or risk being sanctioned by the US government for doing business with him.
Senator Johnson was sanctioned by the US government for receiving bribes to "pay-to-play" during the 2017 elections and receiving undeserved salaries from the Liberian government for intelligence services he didn't provide while serving as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Defense, Security, and Intelligence. The sanction compelled him to resign as head of the committee.
CDC
For some time now, the CDC has been reaching out to other political parties to form a collaboration. The party has realized that it cannot win the pending elections in the midst of disenchantment and internal wrangling among some executives of the LPDP and the NPP, as well as the vast majority of its own supporters and partisans who are disenchanted.
As a result of this, the CDC reached out to the People's Liberation Party (PLP), Movement for Economic Empowerment (MOVEE), Union of Liberian Democrats (ULD), United People's Party (UPP), Redemption Democratic Congress (RDC), and Change Democratic Action (CDA) to form part of the coalition. Although these parties do not have the numerical strength compared to the three main opposition political parties, including the CPP, LP, and the UP, they have affixed their signatures to a document and have joined the CDC.
There are reports that a huge sum of money was distributed to executives of these parties to cross over to the CDC, as evidenced by the mysterious disappearance of US$30,000 from the vehicle of the Chairman of MOVEE, Robert Sammie, which was reportedly intended to be distributed during the signing of the resolution at the headquarters of the PLP. An accusation was also raised by the Bong County Chairman of the PLP, Jerry Kollie, that some party executives were financially induced to cross over to the CDC.
With the relaunch of its politically-driven beaches and waterways cleaning up project, which is expected to commence on May 1, the CDC may win scores of first-time voters in Monrovia and other coastal areas. The project targets thousands of less fortunate youths and women in slum communities and coastal areas.
Furthermore, the CDC-led government has begun appointing partisans and supporters of other political parties to key positions with less than nine months to the expiration of the first term of President Weah. The government has also relaxed its consistent vehicle registration and other exercises in a bid to accord sympathy to owners of commercial and private vehicles plying across the country for a while.
President Weah and his government have also been involved in the fulfillment of multiple quick impact projects, including the construction of parks, markets, renewed payment of WASSCE fees for all senior students, and pavements of roads in the northern and southeastern parts of Liberia.
The Weah-led administration and the CDC have been strategizing to prevent a Boakai-Cummings ticket ahead of the elections. As a result of this, the party has been supporting a split among executives of both the CPP and the UP. It has been accused of allegedly hiring businessman Musa Hassan Bility of the LP and the Political Leader of the All Liberian Party (ALP), Mr. Benoni Urey, to ignite conflict within the previous CPP, which comprised four parties.
Mr. Bility has been a close confidante of President Weah, who he supported in 2017 during the run-off elections. He is also an ally of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who declined to support Boakai in the past elections. Mr. Urey is reported to be an ally of President Weah. He supported the Liberian leader in past elections but contested for the presidency in 2017. Both men have denied being "regime collaborators."
Mr. Urey is reported to be an ally of President Weah. He supported the Liberian leader in past elections but contested for the presidency in 2017. Both men have denied being "regime collaborators."
Choice for VP
Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor remains the favorite running mate to President Weah. The relationship between the pair seems to be flourishing, even though there are mixed feelings among some executives of the NPP.
There have been mounting calls for the NPP to withdraw from the CDC on the grounds that the party has not adequately benefited from the distribution of key positions in the government.
President Weah will do all it takes to win the vote-rich Bong. He has already started to appoint sons and daughters hailing from the county to strategic positions in the government.
Extreme hardship, poverty, escalating economic constraints, ritualistic and secret killings, disrespect for the rule of law, growing waves of lawlessness and insecurity, high rates of unemployment, uneven and reduced civil servant wages, accumulation of ill-gotten and questionable wealth by his officials, among others, are factors that may thwart his re-election.
Unity Party
The former ruling Unity Party is playing to the sympathy of Liberians for opposition collaboration. The party sees ex-Vice President Joseph Boakai as the best alternative for Liberia come October 10 due to his vast experience in public service.
The party has been making moves across the African continent to scout financial support towards its campaign.
The defection of key strategists and financiers from the UP, who remain loyal to ex-President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, makes it difficult for the party to raise the needed resources to finance Boakai's campaign.
However, the UP is extending an olive branch to all of those who parted company with the party at a time when it is struggling to maintain unity among its executives and partisans.
It has been exerting efforts to rebuild its image to change the "squandered opportunities" narrative which remains in the ears of the Liberian people and prompted its defeat in 2017.
For some time now, the UP has been politically stable with no major defections, betrayals, and backstabbing. It has also been showcasing political maturity by refraining from filing lawsuits against its defeat in past elections, especially in Lofa, in the wake of reports of electoral malpractices for the "sake of peace."
The UP still sees itself as a party with the numerical strength to defeat President Weah, and as a result of this, not much effort is being applied to reach out to like-minded political parties to form a merger ahead of the elections.
The party feels entitled to the presidency because of its perceived mindset that Madam Sirleaf is "fighting" its experienced Political Leader and ruling out any possibility for the conduct of a primary that would not be in favor of Boakai heading the ticket.
It has commenced the process of restructuring its leadership in the various counties, incorporating new breeds of partisans and supporters to change the old order or ways of doing things.
Choice for VP
Former VP Boakai's delay in announcing his running mate contributed to his defeat in the runoff of the 2017 elections. Following his rejection of a few others recommended to him by his former boss, Madam Sirleaf, he eventually selected former House Speaker Emmanuel Nuquay a few months before the elections as his running mate. With barely six months left before the much-anticipated elections, Ambassador Boakai seems to be trending on a similar path. The delay in appointing his vice-presidential mate makes many executives, partisans, and supporters of the UP remain skeptical about whether they will remain or leave the party as a result of his pick.
Insiders have hinted that many executives of the party prefer Senator Jeremiah Koung as a running mate, while a few others are opting for Senator Nyonblee Karnga Lawrence of Grand Bassa.
The Cummings-Boakai Ticket
Although the two names continue to surface among executives of the UP, ordinary Liberians from diverse political parties and the intellectual class continue to crave a Boakai-Cummings ticket to guarantee a first-round victory for the opposition. Former Maryland County Senator John Ballout recently led a campaign to petition both leaderships of the CPP and the UP to cement the deal, but the surety of the collaboration has been outlived. However, the possibility of the ticket in the midst of mounting pressure from citizens and other international partners for the sake of Liberia cannot be overruled. The party has already set aside April 28 as the date to make the announcement of its running mate. Boakai's pick has the propensity to either lure more supporters, including disenchanted CDCians and others, to the UP or contribute to his second defeat for the presidency.
CPP has already cemented its framework document, automatically making Alexander Cummings the Standard Bearer of the party. Despite this, the LP and other political parties that would join the collaboration also have political benefits and dividends to reap. The CPP, through its Political Leader Alexander Cummings, has been reaching out to locals in slum communities in Monrovia and other parts of the country. His strong economic background and commitment to accelerating Liberia's declining economy seem to be winning the hearts of citizens, mainly marketers, youths, and others. The party has been politically stable, thereby immensely contributing to the influx of other executives and stalwarts of the Unity Party and other opposition political parties to join its ranks and files. The financial standing of the party makes it appear to be in full swing to engage in vigorous campaign activities ahead of the elections.
Who will Cummings select?
Mr. Cummings is yet to announce his running mate. He prefers a female to serve as his vice presidential candidate.
The most senior Liberian serving at the United Nations, Madam Sara Beysolow Nyanti, is being considered for the post.
2011 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Madam Leymah Gbowee is another key personality on the list of the top Liberian businessmen.
However, no final decision has been reached by the party ahead of its primary scheduled for May this year.
If the deal fails, Mr. Cummings still has the chance to decide between Senator Koung of the MDR and Tiawan Gongloe to accept an offer to serve as his running mate. But the consummation of the deal may trigger the formation of a new framework to please the incoming parties.
Since the demise of the original CPP, the existing political feud between Cummings and other opposition leaders has not been settled. There has been no proposal for reconciliation talks with Senator Nyonblee Karnga Lawrence, Benoni Urey, and Joseph Nyuma Boakai and Cummings to find a way forward to guarantee the election of an opposition to the Liberian presidency.
If the disunity remains among opposition political leaders, the possibility of supporting an opposition political party that may go to a possible run-off with incumbent President Weah remains slim and scanty.
Leaders of other opposition political parties may either sit on the fence and remain neutral during the process or please support President Weah based upon lucrative offers that may be proffered.
Liberians continue to yearn for a Boakai-Cummings' ticket to guarantee a first-round victory for the opposition in the coming elections. But the possibility of the pair reuniting remains far from coming to fruition due to increasing attacks among their executives and supporters.
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However, with the mounting of more pressure by the locals and the popular maxim which states that politics is a game of "strange bedfellows," the emergence of a Boakai-Cummings ticket cannot be downplayed for the betterment and future of Liberia and its citizens.
Making the race crowded
Some Representative aspirants and incumbent lawmakers are also reportedly sponsoring others to reduce the votes in the strongholds of their major contenders. In district #9 in Nimba County, Representative Johnson Gwaikolo is reported to be sponsoring Dr. Michael Slawion and one Odysseus Dekpah in the Doe administration district to lower the votes, as he did in 2017. It can be recalled that in 2017, Dr. Gwaikolo, who was running for the representative seat previously occupied by then Matenokay Tingban, sponsored Nelson Jackson Jr. from Doe administration district to increase the number of candidates to lower the votes. The political calculation worked perfectly for Representative Gwaikolo, who is currently serving in the House of Representatives in the 54th National Legislature. He is currently the Chairman of the House Committee on Rules, Order, and Administration. Following his ascendancy, he paid back Jackson by sending him abroad to further his education.
The Doe administration district recently embarked on a process to select one candidate to run in order to increase the district's chances of winning the Representative seat in the upcoming elections. However, there are reports that Representative Gwaikolo has requested that all aspirants in the district be allowed to contest the elections. The move is intended to make the race crowded and guarantee his re-election.
In Montserrado, supporters of the ruling party are flocking to district #10 to register and vote against one of President Weah's fiercest critics, Representative Yekeh Kolubah, due to his uncompromising verbal attacks against the Liberian leader. Conversely, supporters of other opposition political parties are also rallying support and leaving their respective districts to register to vote for Representative Kolubah, due to his unwavering advocacy on behalf of the Liberian people. The CPP, UP, LP, and other opposition parties are unlikely to field a candidate against him.
In District #8 of Montserrado County, the ruling party is doing the same to retain Representative Acarous Gray. The party sees him as a floor fighter and a committed executive who should not be replaced in the National Legislature. Lawmaker Gray currently serves as the Chairman of the House Committee on Executive.
The trucking of voters and sponsoring of aspirants are new phenomena in the Liberian electoral process. Failed incumbent lawmakers and desperate politicians are hiring citizens from elsewhere to register and vote for them in their respective districts. However, citizens in various communities and districts at large are threatening to take stringent measures to discourage the transportation of citizens who do not reside in their districts to decide their political future or representation. When elected based on the trucking of voters, lawmakers do not feel accountable or answerable to the original residents of their districts. As a result of this, they pay less or no attention to advocating for them or taking actions to improve their living conditions through constitutional oversight, representation, and lawmaking responsibilities.
