VP Taylor Discloses
PHOTO: Vice President, Jewel Howard-Taylor speaking the program
By Augustine Octavius, augustineoctavius@gmail.com
President George Weah is expected to sign a peace declaration along with leaders of other political parties on conduct of violence free elections at the National Elections Commission (NEC) later this week.
Making the disclosure, Vice President, Jewel Howard-Taylor encouraged Liberians not to allow themselves to be used to create electoral violence during the electoral process.
The planned signing of the declaration by political party leaders committing themselves to non-violence comes after a steady rise in pre-elections violences and public concerns expressed by some members of the international community.
Vice President Taylor made the disclosure when she officially launched the awareness on the biometric voter registration organized by the Liberia People Democratic Party (LPDP) in Monrovia over the weekend. PDPL is one of three parties making up triparty Coalition Democratic Change (CDC), which won power in 2017. The two other parties are President Weah’s Congress for Democratic Change and the former ruling National Patriotic Party (NPP).
“Please do not allow people to use you to bring violence in this election, do not be used to bring violence in the community and country. We do not have fight because we are winning anyway; so just join us in order to give President Weah one-round victory,” VP Taylor told the program.
She encouraged the partisans of the LPDP to ensure that they register because it proves that you are a true citizen because this is your civic responsibility.
Mulbah Morlu, Nat’l Chairman, Coalition for Democratic Change
According to her, only citizens with that voting card will determine the future in the country and anyone who refuses to vote will be left on the side.
The Vice President then encouraged the constituent political parties of the Coalition for Democratic Change work through their various axillaries because they cut across boundaries, ethnic groups and gender.
In remarks, the National Chairman of the Coalition for Democratic Change, Mulbah Morlu says it is national threat if supporters of the President Weah’s development drive do not register during the biometric voter registration in the country.
According to Chairman Morlu, the CDC is not worry about the opposition political parties because they do not have the numbers to vote win the coalition in the elections this year.
“If you, in the number, do not register to vote, constitutes a significant threat to the elections commitment of the President,” he said; adding: “the opposition does not constitute any threat to us because you CDcians who may not register constitutes a risk to the collective commitment for the president to win on the first round”
The first step in winning the elections is by registering in order to vote during the election, because there is no doubt about it.”
For his part, the National Chairman of the Liberia people Democratic Party, Moses Kollie, said in order to succeed in the 2023 elections, there is a need for partisans to encourage the Liberian people to turn in number to register.
“In order to succeed,” he went on, “we need to go to the length and breadth of Liberia not only to win but to win in one round in the elections.”
According to him, the re-affirmation of their signature on the CDC frame work document is an indication that they are prepared to win on the first ballot.
The program, which was held at the LPDP headquarters, was graced members of the national executive committees of the three constituent political parties including the National Patriotic Party, the Congress for Democratic Change and large number of supporters and sympathizers.