PHOTO: (L-R) NEC Chair Browne Lansanah and Co-Chair Reeves
By Our Reporter
The Chairperson of the National Elections Commission (NEC), Davidetta Browne Lansanah has confirmed that there is internal wrangling in the administration of the commission, in the wake of growing disagreement over which company should get the contract to print biometric voter registration materials.
This internal wrangling has now led to the postponement of the start of the national voter registration exercise, less than one year to presidential and legislative elections.
Recently, the Public Procurement and Concession Commission (PPCC) rejected the selection of a Chinese company by NEC saying the procurement process did not meet the standards set up in the PPCC Act requiring due diligence.
Appearing before the Senate on Monday, December 5, 2022, NEC Chairperson Browne Lansanah accused her deputy commissioner, Cllr. P. Teplah Reeves of tampering with the results of the PPCC procurement process,
But Commissioners Reeves told Senators that she did not leak her internal memo exposing the rift over awarding of the biometric registration materials contract that recently surfaced in the local media.
Amid the internal wrangling, NEC on Monday informed the public that the previously announced 15 December 2022 date for the start of voter registration cannot now hold.
Instead, the start of the voter registration is being adjusted to a later date.
In a brief press release, the NEC said it “is developing a new timeline detailing the voter registration schedule, which will be communicated to the public in the soonest possible time.”
“The NEC assures the Liberian people that the 2023 electoral process is on course and the Commission remains committed to conducting free, fair and credible election on 10 October 2023,” the press release concluded.