PHOTO: NEC Chair, Davidetta Brown Lansanah
By M.Neywon Mengonfia, mmenginfia@gmail.com
The National Elections Commission (NEC) has written members of the House of Representatives requesting a meeting with that body to discuss conduct of the pending by elections, which is estimated at close to US$2 million.
this is so because a number of sitting Representatives, who had not completed half of the six-year terms they were elected for in 2017, chose to run for the senatorial seat in the December 8, 2020 Special Senatorial elections.
NEC wrote the House on February 4, 2021, officially notifying it of a vacancy created by the election of Rep. Prince K. Moye of District #2, Bong County to the senate, consistent with Article 37 of the Constitution.
In that communication, they informed the House of Representatives that $455,000.00 was needed to run the elections to fill the vacant seat.
The letter to the House of Representatives noted further: “In the event of a vacancy in the Legislature caused by death, resignation, and expulsion or otherwise, the presiding officer shall within 30 days notify the Elections Commission thereof. In keeping with the Constitution and the new Elections law, Elections Commission shall not later than 90 days thereafter cause a by-election to be held; provided that where such vacancy occurs within 90 days prior to the holding of general elections, the filling of the vacancy shall await the holding of such general elections.”
Following the just ended December 8, 2020 senatorial elections, NEC announced in total, three by-elections including the one in Bong County which was the first law makers were notified of at which time there was public outcry that the $455,000 cost NEC attached to it was extremely high.
If Representative Jeremiah Koung of Nimba the county’s electoral dispute which is now in court, four by-elections will be held in total, with total cost amounting to $1,820,000.
Tuesday’s meeting with members of the House of Representatives is expected to determine the total cost of the pending three by-elections.
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