By Frank Sainworla, Jr. fsainworla@yahoo.com
The much talked about December 8 Liberian Special Senatorial Election is just at hand, with just 20 female candidates being fielded against 98 male candidates to fill 15 of the thirty Senate seats and two vacant seats in Montserrado and Sinoe Counties.
Many of the female candidates are running as independent, as political parties have largely decided to ignore a gender equity legislation urging parties include at least 30% of either gender on their list of candidates.
Some 2.476 million registered voters are expected to on Tuesday, December 8 troop to 5, 911 polling places across this country, according to the National Elections Commission (NEC).
The ruling CDC Party of President George Weah, who claimed to be “Feminist-In-Chier,” is fielding an all-male slate of candidates, a large number of them incumbent Representatives in the House, who are yet to even complete half of their six-year-term they were elected for during the 2017 elections. And if they win, millions of US dollars will be needed to fund By-elections.
Even the opposition CPP and other opposition parties are fielding less than a hand-full of female candidates, even though the 30-member only has one female incumbent candidate, Yongblee Karnga Lawrence of Grand Bassa County.
Campaign against sitting Reps running for the Senate
At the same time, in the run up to Tuesday’s polls, a campaign has been heating up against the influx of sitting Representatives in the House making their Senatorial bids for the December 8 Special Senatorial elections.
Joining the campaign in the last few weeks was the Senate President Pro Tempore, Albert Chie of the ruling CDC, who said recently that these incumbent members of the House of Representatives are going to lead the government into further expenses on By-elections, if they win.
Pro Tempore Chie said the move by the sitting Representatives running for Senate seats is being done out of “greed and selfishness”.
This is how the Grand Kru County Senator and President Pro Tempore put :
“I said it then that I don’t support members of the House of Representatives coming over to the Senate to seek election, because if they win there are some economic costs for By-elections. It is a concern. I don’t support that,” Senate Pro Tempore told Legislative Reporters at the Capitol Building recently.
It is no secret that the Liberian government is facing serious economic squeeze, with the regime even finding it difficult to fully fund the current senatorial polls and the National Referendum due to be held simultaneously.
In fact, a pressure group campaigning against incumbent Representatives running for Senatorial seats was recently established in Monrovia.
Earlier this year, a prominent female citizen in Liberia’s central Bong County called on citizens of Liberia to reject the senatorial bids of sitting representatives across the Country.
Madam Dorothy Kwenneh Toomann, former Development Education Network of Liberia (DEN-L) Executive Director said electing current representatives to the Liberian senate will further increase hardship on the ordinary people.
Every incumbent Representative in the House that wins the upcoming Senatorial race will be putting additional financial burden on the Liberian government.
This government is already cash-strapped, as this will next year lead to the holding of a series of Representative By-election running into millions of US dollars.
This current trend is engendering widespread public resentment in some quarters around the country, judging by vocal calls on live phone-in talk shows about the huge and unnecessary financial burden that will be put on the already dwindling public coffers.
While running, these individuals can maintain their lucrative posts, as the current law is in their favour and they are not obliged to resign before or during the race for the Senate.
Already, the ruling CDC party is fielding several of its sitting Representatives including Montserrado County District # 5 Rep. Thomas Fallah on the list to contest the upcoming Senatorial polls.
In Bong County itself, current Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives from the former ruling Unity Party and this county, Rep. Prince Moye will be contesting the upcoming Senatorial seat on December 8.
In Margibi and Gbarpolu counties, two sitting CDC Representatives, Ivar Jones and Alfred Koiwu are also being fielded in the December 8 Senatorial elections, among others.
Also in Liberia’s western Bomi County, sitting Representative, Edwin Snowe, who just got elected for a six-year term in 2017 is joining the Senatorial race.
Encouraging first time voters
Official statistics available shows that most of Liberia’s over 4 million population are youthful. For example, over 44 percent are below age 15, while nearly 53 percent are between 15 and 64 years. This amounts to more than 2.5 million people.
Well, thousands and thousands of this huge percentage have already hit 18 years—the voting age– or will just be turning 18 during the last voter registration period.
Calls were made to prioritize eligible youth and women voters during the civic engagement exercise now underway, so that they can be adequately prepared to take part in the national decision making process.
The Liberian constitution is clear as to who can be a registered voter in Article 77b, that a voter must be 18 years or above 18.
Well, if the over two point five million eligible/registered voters decide it tomorrow, more women will be voted into the Senate on Tuesday, thus striking the gender balance. Or if they decide otherwise, the entire 30-member Liberian Senate will be an all-male upper chamber of the Legislature.
Also, if the voters decide to pick some of the incumbent Representatives running for the Senate, the country’s already bleeding national coffers may well be prepared to bleed further, with a series of what has been branded as “uncecessary” By-elections to fill the vacant House seats. The Liberian Constitution says By-elections shall be held ninety days following the declaration of the vacant seat(s).