PHOTO: Leaders of the four-party group, CPP
Press Statement
Monrovia- The Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) is taking the National Elections Commission (NEC) and the Supreme Court of Liberia to task for the stalemate in the election dispute case in which its Grand Cape Mount County Senatorial candidate’s win is being challenged by his main opponent in the December 2020 Special Senatorial election.
In a press statement issued over the weekend, CPP says it “is compelled to state emphatically that the deliberate and unjustified violation of the Liberian constitution by the National Election Commission (NEC) and the Supreme Court of Liberia in the ongoing endless case involving CPP candidate (Simeon B. Taylor) who was declared winner by the NEC on December 13, 2020 and Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) candidate (Victor V. Watson) are attempts to disrupt the peace, security and democracy of the country. “
“These two bodies, the NEC and the Supreme Court, which have jurisdictional authority to investigate election complaints have raised questions of public trust in the ability of the officials to uphold and defend the constitution of Liberia.
The CPP urges the NEC and the Supreme Court to stop all violations as actions and consequences breeding from such deliberate violation of the Liberian constitution have never been in the best interest of peace and national security and Grand Cape Mount County will be of no exception. These two agencies will be fully responsible shall there be any actions that will undermine the peace, security and democracy of our country.
Whereas, the Constitution calls for thirty (30) days by the NEC and fourteen (14) days with appeal to the Supreme court, a total of forty four (44) days within which to receive and decide an election complaint, the NEC and the Supreme Court have gone more than one hundred and twenty (120) days of hearing proceedings, contrary to Article 83 (C). And by the time the NEC reaffirms Senator-elect Simeon Taylor as the winner of the December 8, 2020 Special Senatorial Midterm Elections, the Constitution of Liberia would have been further violated, under Article 45, which established that each Senator shall serve a nine (9) year term. Already, the hearing is in its six (6) months and might continue beyond if nothing is done to stop this violation. The CPP wonder if, we are a country of laws or men?
In an earlier statement issued by the Executive Committee Chairman of the CPP; Musa Hassan Bility stated that ‘the CPP takes note of the fact that the Constitution of Liberia remains the fundamental law of the Republic of Liberia and that any law contrary to the Constitution is without legal effect, according to Chapter I, Article 2 of the Constitution. He indicated that the CPP is concerned about the growing violations of ‘relevant provisions’ of Chapter VIII of the constitution of Liberia, specifically, Article 83 ( C ), which describes the processing of elections complaints and identifies the timeframe to receive and determine results of investigation by the NEC and the Supreme Court of Liberia .
The CPP is again expressing support for the position taken by the people of Grand Cape Mount County in support and protection of their voices at the ballot box, as submitted to the Liberian Senate on May 27, 2021, urging urgent action from that body in consonance with Chapter 1, Article 1 and Chapter VIII, Article 84 to end the six (6) months of denial of their full representation in the Liberian senate and to certificate and seat Hon. Simeon B. Taylor as the Senator of their County.
The CPP has meanwhile expressed its commitment to working with its legislators in the National Legislature to ensure actions in defense of constitutional democracy in Liberia and to end the denial of the people of Grand Cape Mount County to full and just representation in the Liberian Senate.”