PHOTO: VP Taylor speaking at the LNBA induction over the weekend
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
Serving as a special guest at the Liberian National Bar Association induction ceremony over the weekend, Liberia’s Vice President, Dr. Jewel Howard Taylor said that the new election law has serious problem which needs to be looked at by members of the LNBA.
Speaking at the Ministerial Complex in the Congo Town suburb of Monrovia, VP Taylor pointed out that the process of filing complaint and the appeal process in the new election law entails a lot of delay, which pose a major challenge for winners of election taking their seat early. The new election law came into effect in 2014, after the Liberian President signed the amended Act into law.
Although the Vice President didn’t name specific chapter or section that should be looked at, she has called for review and amendment.
Madam Howard Taylor said those problems were observed during the Special Senatorial election in 2020 and that if they are not corrected now with 18months to go the 2023 general and presidential elections, “we will have another major challenge even more the 2020 Special Senatorial election”.
The Liberian Vice President observed that usually, election cases can delay and enter into the next government term posing challenge to the country and counties.
She called on members of the LNBA to carefully look at the new election law and if there is a need, they must petition the legislature in order to have a smooth transfer of power in 2024.
According to VP Taylor, if legal luminaries can advocate for new law within the legal system, they must also do the same with the new election law to avoid future problems during and after elections in the country.
In another development, Vice President Taylor has expressed disappointment over what she said was lack of gender equity in the LNBA, because no female has never been elected as president of the LNBA since it was founded many decades ago.
The Liberian Vice President added that there are competent female lawyers who can also contest as president for the national Bar, but she said their male counterparts are not giving them the chance to contest for that high seat within the legal profession.
Meanwhile, the Chief Justice and Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of Liberia boycotted the induction ceremony of the LNBA.
They were visibly absent from the occasion, without any excuse although the leadership of the Bar said they were formally invited to the ceremony over the weekend.