The Coalition For Democratic Change’s Problematic “One-Round” Victory Campaign Platform
IN A PRESS conference to express the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction’s appreciation the massive support at the launch of the Unity Party (UP) rally, Senator Prince Johnson claimed that, contrary to CDCians claiming one-round victory, the Unity Party (UP) will be the party winning the election on the first ballot. He insinuated that, in order to rig the election, the National Elections Commission (NEC), instead of providing 3,000 ballot papers to each polling place, which is the maximum voting number in each center, has instead increased it to 4,500 ballot papers. He warned, “Any rigged election amounts to coup d’état against democracy.” Senator Prince Johnson may not be the saintliest of saints when it comes to Liberian politics, but his zeroing on the CDC’s one-round victory platform is crux: the Coalition for Democratic Change’s “one-round” or “first ballot” victory campaign is problematic when it comes to the incumbent party providing the level-playing field for all the parties participating in the election to accept its results.
“BEFORE THE OCTOBER elections, Liberians are coming out under the banner ‘Don’t Try It’. Any attempt, the people’s power will be exercised like the Arab Spring. You’ll shoot your gun; you’ll kill us or you’ll die. No more fear. Liberians don’t have fear anymore,” Senator Johnson stated.
THE STANDARD BEARER of the Unity Party (UP), Ambassador Joseph N. Boakai and Montserrado County’s district #10 Representative, Yekeh Kolubah, have, likewise, in separate statements threatened to jeopardize the peace and stability of the country by resisting the results of the October polls if they observe any attempt by the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) government to thwart the will of the people by stealing the election.
IN HIS STATEMENT at the official launch of the 2023 campaign on September 17, 2023, Boakai said, “First and foremost, let me make it abundantly clear and assure you that any plans or attempts to thwart the will of the Liberian people by stealing these elections will be forcefully resisted by us…”
REPRESENTATIVE KOLUBAH HAS also insisted on going back to the “bushes” to seek redress if President Weah and his government makes any attempt to rig the election. He vividly stated that they do not have trust and confidence in the Judiciary and, therefore, any attempt to rig the election will revert the country back to its dark days.
THESE STATEMENTS ARE being made just a few weeks to the conduct of the election, casting dark cloud over Liberia, as the UP appears not to be in the position to accept the results if the CDC is announced the winner of the polls. Leaders of the CDC are yet to comment on their course of action if the UP is announced winner of the election.
