IPNEWS-Monrovia: The Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) have made a passionate plea for Liberia’s Supreme Court to attach urgency to the adjudication of alleged constitutional breaches resulting from the process leading to the October 10, General and Presidential elections.
This urgent call is being made to avert society descending into chaos and major conflict from problems arising due to the National Elections Commission (NEC) not complying with the constitution.
The full Bench of the Supreme Court of Liberia where the Chief Justice and the four Associate Justices hear petitions
Ambassador Lewis Brown, Head of Team Cummings, said the court must act independently and with courage to timely and expeditiously address conflict-prone elections related matters brought before it, in order to safeguard the country’s peace and protect its democracy.
He made the appeal on Thursday, March 23, following a petition filed last week by the CPP. The CPP petition questioned the constitutionality of the NEC to conduct Voters Registration without demarcation of constituencies as provided by law.
Some CPP members and supporters at today’s News Conference addressed by Amb. Lewis Brown
CPP called the Supreme Court of Liberia attention to the NEC alleged violations of the Articles 80 C, D and E of the Liberian Constitution.
Mr. Brown, addressing a news conference, said after a week of the filing of the CPP petition, the court has delayed acknowledgement or serve it on the NEC or assign it to be heard.
The Legal citation from the Supreme Court of Liberia to the parties
Report said the court has assigned the case for April 4, 2023.
He said, like the NEC, no agency of government has any color of rights to ignore any aspect of the country’s constitution, noting that to do so is a recipe for danger and disaster.
Mr. Brown warned of the fact that elections are problematic and must be held in strict accordance with the Constitution, to safeguard the country’s democracy and avert society degenerating into full blown conflict.
Ambassador Lewis Brown, Head of Team Cummings
“The way the NEC is proceeding with the conduct of the October 10 General and Presidential elections, is not only wrong and dangerous, but it puts the country’s rule of law under threat and its democracy at risk,” Mr. Brown cautioned.
He pleaded with Justices of the Supreme Court to timely and expeditiously address and dispose of elections related violations of the law, in its enfant stages, and not wait until it degenerates into conflict before taking actions.
“With one law compromised, all other laws will be compromised. Correct the problem when it is still small. Anything outside the constitution, spells danger, and all of us will pay the price,”
Some CPP members and supporters at today’s News Conference addressed by Amb. Lewis Brown
Mr. Brown said. He pleaded with Liberians, irrespective of political affiliations, to speak out against critical national issues that have the potential to plunge the nation into chaos, noting that the price will be too heavy, when law and order breaks down.
Article 80 (c) states that “every Liberian citizen shall have the right to be registered in a constituency, and to vote in public elections only in the constituency where registered…”, while (d) of the same Article, says a constituency “shall have an approximately equal population of 20,000, or such number of citizens as the Legislature shall prescribe in keeping with population growth and movements as revealed by a national census; provided that the total number of electoral constituencies in the Republic shall not exceed one hundred.”
According to (e), “immediately following a national census and before the next elections, the Elections Commission shall reapportion the constituencies in accordance with the new population figures so that every constituency shall have as close to the same population as possible; provided, however, that a constituency must be solely within a county.”
Amb. Brown, head of Team Cummings and another at Thursday, March 23, 2023 news conference at CPP headquarters in Sinkor
CPP said, despite various public objections over the unconstitutional delays to conduct the census, and concerns around the integrity of the results, the Liberian Government insists that the Census demanded by the Constitution has been conducted. CPP, contends that although final results have not been announced, preliminary results released show significant changes in the growth and movements of the population and necessitates constitutional actions to ensure adequate and proper representation of the Liberian people in their government.
The NEC commenced voters’ registration on Monday, March 20.
Meanwhile, the CPP says it is not seeking the court’s intervention to delay the elections but rather to ensure that the NEC conducts the processes of the elections according to the Constitution.
