A prominent Liberian businessman and a humanitarian, Eddie F. Nimely, says mankind cannot do anything successful without the presence of the Almighty God; therefore, he called on all Liberians to seek God’s face through prayer to keep Liberia calm for the 2023 presidential and legislative elections; writes Ojuku Silver-tongue Kangar, Jr.
October this year every Liberian will exert their Constitutional right by going to the ballot box to elect leaders of their choice. Presidential election is held after every six year while bi-election is held within 90 days after election.
The tenure of President George M. Weah, who won the votes of 14 counties, will expire October this year but he will maintain in power until inauguration in January 2024. If he is re-elected, he will be re-inaugurated in 2024, but if he loses at the polls he will turn the mantle of authority to the President Liberians will elect on the second Tuesday of October this year.
The 2017 general elections featured several political parties in the first round, but only the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) and the former ruling Unity Party (UP) were left in the runoff. The CDC won the UP overwhelmingly, a victory qualifying its Standard bearer, George M. Weah, to become Liberia’s 24th President on January 24, 2018.
The CDC-led administration has been in power for five years and is seeking two-term tenure in 2024 but opposition political parties have erected a checkpoint to prevent the coalition’s second-term rule.
As Liberians jittered and protested for low the unemployment rate, weak government, economic hardship, among others, the CDC-led government maintaining a second-term tenure would be a challenge if opposition political parties form unity among themselves.
The electioneering process will be tense as the sitting government will not succumb to defeat but will do anything to sustain power, according to political experts.
“We pray that all Liberians will govern themselves to keep the place peaceful,” Nimely said, retrospecting how electoral violence has claimed the lives of several people worldwide, and forbade it occurring here. “We pray for a peaceful and democratic election that everybody would participate in. We urge government to create level-playing field for everyone,” he added.
On December 17, 2022 opposition political party Alternative National Congress (ANC) and its sympathizers, staged a protest, titled, “We Tiyah Suffering”. According to Nimely, the planners of the protest were not specific, noting that suffering is relative.
“We tiyah suffering for what? Malaria, renting, sickness, swallowing tablets, taking injecting or what? They were not specific in the protest,” he said. “Economic hardship is a global phenomenon, and it is not Liberia alone that is facing it.”