The Chairperson of the National Elections Commission (NEC) has made another passionate plea to protesting poll workers to exercise patience as the commission continues to engage the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning to make available funds to the NEC to complete the payment process of poll workers throughout the country.
NEC boss, Davidetta Browne Lansanah, addressing aggrieved poll workers who had gathered in front of the Commission’s headquarters in Sinkor, informed the poll workers that the Commission, through its Finance Section, is in day-to-day discussion with the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning to quickly disbursed the remaining US$5 million to the commission to clear all debts it owes, not only to poll workers, but venders who also rendered election-related services to the NEC, including car rentals, printing houses and the media.
The head of the National Elections Commission (NEC) pleaded with poll workers to give the NEC at least one week to finalize the payment arrangement with the Ministry of Finance to the remaining poll workers, who have so far not receive their payment from the December 8, 2020 elections.
Chairperson Browne Lansanah, along with Commissioners Barsee Leo Kpangbai, Boakai A. Dukuly and Josephine Kou Gaye, assured the poll workers that, based on on-going negotiations with the Ministry of Finance, poll workers will, at the soonest possible time, receive their money through a mobile money processing system recommended by the General Auditing Commission (GAC).
Earlier today, Thursday, January 14, 2020 dozens of polling workers gathered in front of the headquarters of the National Elections Commission (NEC), demanding that the commission pays them for their services provided to the NEC during the December 8, 2020 Special Senatorial Elections, Constitutional Referendum and two representative by-elections.