THE FEBRUARY 28, 2021 Hot Pepper-published story relating to the Chairperson of the National Elections Commission (NEC), Davidetta Browne-Lansanah, pointing accusing fingers at President George M. Weah for sending Minister Nathaniel McGill to her to do a staff shake-up to make way for CDC die-hard partisans in key, strategic NEC positions and, in return, her court case with the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) would fade away, has received the confirmation it deserves.
BARELY SIX MONTHS after the Hot Pepper’s publication, a new version of the Election Reform Law has been sent by the Executive to the National Legislature, requiring that election magistrates of the 15 fifteen counties relinquish their positions upon the passage of the act.
ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 2022, the Liberian Senate voted for some prepositions within the New Elections Law, taking into consideration Section 7.3(2) and Section 2.24(a) to maintain the Application and Registration fees and removed all Magistrates from all 15 counties of the New Elections Law (1986), as amended in 2014.
SECTION 2.24 (A), WHICH requires all election magistrates to relinquish their positions, appears like the reincarnation of the McGill mandate—to create room for hardcore loyalists of the regime at the NEC to protect the interest of President Weah and the Coalition for Democratic Change.
PRIVILEGED INFORMATION ATTAINED by the Hot Pepper suggests that Browne-Lansannah is coerced to dance to the tone of the CDC administration in order to escape her day in court with the LACC.
BROWNE-LANSANNAH IS APPARENTLY being blackmailed to succumb to the changes being made in the law and, since she has stood her ground not to implement the mandate, the Executive has taken responsibility of amending the Election Law in its favor.
AS AN ELECTION stakeholder, whether the NEC boss consented to the amendment or not, many may see her administration as not standing for the interest of the people and protecting the sanctity of the institution; rather, a lame duck that is being blackmailed by the regime to orchestrate its gamesmanship at the NEC due to her alleged corrupt behavior that she is trying hard to recreate.