#MacDella Cooper

[geezliberia]

“I Did Not Steal Anybody’s Husband” - Macdella Cooper Speaks Out after her former bestie accused her of snatching her now ex-husband.

“I Did Not Steal Anybody’s Husband” – Macdella Cooper Speaks Out after her former bestie accused her of snatching her now ex-husband.

Former presidential hopeful and head of the women group, Movement for One Liberia (MOL) has denied thru her social media page of taking somebody’s husband despite allegation by a female colleague, Sajo Juwara. Madam Cooper said her husband, Mr. AliouneKebe had never been married before in any part of the world, describing the claim as a miscalculated myth from her ‘opposition’. But recently,…

[premimtimes]

Ravaged by a 14-year-old civil war and the Ebola epidemic, Liberia is presently reeling with election fever. The air is palpable with excitement as young people dance to music blaring from vans or songs they composed. It is a momentous period. This is the first time a democratically elected president will hand over to another President in post war Liberia.

The presidential election is being fiercely contested by 20 candidates. However, there are four frontline candidates; namely incumbent Vice President, Joseph Boakai of the Unity Party (UP); football icon, George Weah of Coalition for Democratic Congress (CDC); Liberty Party’s (LP) Charles Brumskine; and the Alternative Congress’ (ANC)  Alexander Cummings. For a country which produced the first female president, there is only one female candidate, MacDella Cooper vying for the Presidency. Obviously, after 12 years in office, President Johnson Sirleaf has not been able to translate gender equality into reality.

The campaign is centred on largely tackling corruption, investing in education, infrastructure and jobs. However, it is left to be seen if people will vote based on issues. When asked what will drive people’s votes, most of the respondents I spoke to retorted “Our Vote, Our Secret”; others retorted it is our turn. Vice President Joseph Boakai is from Foya District, Lofa Country; an area yet to produce a president but has produced vice presidents in the past. Also at play is the all-important tension between Americo Liberians and indigenous Liberians.

However as is prevalent in other African elections, money rules the game. Today in Liberia, people are being paid to participate in rallies, the election is largely about crowd pulling, with each party trying to outdo the other. Voters’ cards are allegedly being procured and people induced to sway votes. According to a friend, elections can best be defined as an opportunity to redistribute wealth. He explained further that the only time every citizen gets access to the wealth of the country is at election time, after the elections those elected monopolise the opportunity to chop the wealth of the nation. There are also contentions that the large Liberian Diaspora are influencing the way their relations back home vote.

On another front, several groups have emerged in the country endorsing candidates. Foremost is the Islamic groups. The National Muslim Heritage Foundation (NAMHFO) endorsed the presidential bid of Joseph Boakai; the Imam Council of Liberia also paid visit to All Liberian Party (ALP) candidate, Benoni Urey; Muslim women led by Aisha Conneh also endorsed the presidential candidate of the Alternative National Congress, Alexander Cummings. Sheki Toure, owner of Aminata and Sons Inc. in a program monitored on 100.5 Prime FM publicly endorsed Vice President Boakai on behalf of Liberian Muslims. According to him, the Muslim community have devised a system where they interview all candidates and thereafter endorse one since 2005.

Monrovia, Liberia – June 22, 2013: Football game organized by George Wea at SKD. (Photograph by Morgana Wingard).

The National Electoral Commission, NEC, has recruited and is still training election officials. It is fascinating that the classification of officials is according to educational qualifications. The queue controllers are secondary school graduates, presiding officials are university graduates or students, while supervisors are of the highest level of education and professionals. However, the biggest challenge bogging the NEC is logistics. The distribution of electoral materials is a logistical nightmare, particular as the elections will be held during the rainy season.  The final batch of the ballot papers have been received but how these materials will reach the hinterland remains a challenge due to roads made unmotorable by the heavy rains. The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) is assisting in the movement of ballots to provincial capitals and cities, but how this will get down to villages with few days left for the election is a challenge. The NEC has also been criticized for producing over one million extra ballots for the presidential elections. However, the NEC has responded reassuring all that printing contingency ballots are consistent with industry standard practice.

There are minimal fears of violence on Election Day. Nimba County, the stronghold of Yommie Johnson, a self-acclaimed kingmaker and Presidential Candidate of the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR), remains the likely hotspot. Bong and Monteserrado where some pre-election violence have been witnessed are also worth watching closely. Clashes may occur largely because of the campaign on Election Day with each party trying to give out food or stipends in an effort to mobilise voters.  The Women’s Situation Room is already holding daily sit out, praying for peaceful election with the physical situation room to commence on October 8.

The election observation missions have arrived Liberia in full swing, with the international observer missions fully represented. Having received lots of flak following the Kenyan Presidential election, they have issued several strong statements on the elections. The National Democratic Institute (NDI) has issued several updates on the election with the most recent calling for transparency in the transmission of results, publication of voter rolls etc. In the same vein, the European Union Observer Mission has expressed fears on the ability of NEC to transport and distribute ballots and other election materials few days into the election. Obviously there is a serious shift towards overall electoral integrity and not just focusing on the polling.

George Weah shakes hands with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf [Photo: FrontPageAfrica]

It is reassuring that Liberians that I spoke to have faith in their electoral system and its management. When asked if the election can be rigged, not one Liberian responded in the affirmative. All believed that despite the challenges, the elections will reflect the will of the people. In the country’ recent history, the presidential elections are never won in the first round. With 20 candidates and their inability to form a coalition at this stage of the elections, it is likely that the elections will get into second round as no candidate will acquire the required 50 per cent+1. The alliances formed after the first round may very well determine the outcome of the elections.

Idayat Hassan is the Director of the Abuja based Centre for Democracy and Development.

ANALYSIS: Liberia’s Elections – The Next Test for Democracy Ravaged by a 14-year-old civil war and the Ebola epidemic, Liberia is presently reeling with election fever.

[bettiejohnsonmbayo]

Liberia: Recurrences of Voters’ Roll Errors Validate Opposition Parties’ Concerns

Monrovia – Monday’s by-elections in Montserrado County were free of any major violent incidents but a familiar showing of irregularities in the voters’ roster again raised eyebrows about the National Elections Commission’s handling of the electorate information – a significant aspect of the democratic process.

Report by Alpha Daffae Senkpeni, alpha.senkpeni@frontpageafricaonline.com and Bettie K. Johnson-Mbayo, bettie.mbayo@frontpageafricaonline.com

It was widely expected to be a crunch competition amongst seven senatorial and six representative candidates, drawing the participation of 778,291 voters – mainly for the Senate race – in Liberia’s most populous county.

The rain has always been a nemesis for Liberians but thousands defied nature to show up across the 1,790 polling places across Montserrado County. But an undisclosed number of voters never actually exercised their democratic franchise as provided by the Constitution.

They were not allowed to cast their ballot because their photos on the Final Registration Roll (FRR) did not match their names or vice versa. At some polling places, election workers admitted that there were more photos on the roster as compared to names.

When FrontPageAfrica’s reporters toured several voting precincts in Paynesville, Central Monrovia, Bushrod Island and Gardnesville, they observed that voters were expressing anger that their names were not included in the FRR.

Timothy Teyah, who was an observer of the opposition Liberty Party at the YMCA precinct on Broad Street, said when the polls opened the voter’s registration booklet had names that were not posted on the walls.

“Later, they brought a booklet by 5:30 PM and we raised an alarm because of the time and NEC said five minutes grace period and it was settled. It could be a lost vote for the opposition,” Teyah said.

Mark Freeman, an observer of senatorial candidate MacDella Cooper, was not impressed because this is the day that people should vote their candidate because if someone is denied someone who should not win may likely win.

Voters Turned Away

In Logan Town, Bushrod Island, an FPA reporter, who toured the Elder John Massey School, Abendu Bentsi Elementary School, and St. Edwards Catholic School – all serving as voting precincts – said several people were being turned away while polling staff in some cases were strategizing whether they should allow people to cast their votes or not.

Glady Dahn, 28, currently lives in Paynesville but had to return to District #15 to vote. Although she was overzealous, her name wasn’t found on the FRR at the Abendu Bentsi Elementary School.

Theresa Kallon, 42, said she went at the center three times in search of her name but to no avail. “I was surprised when they said my name was not there, even my two siblings have decided not to come back because we came and they told them that their names were not included,” she explained.

“I don’t know if the polling staffs are trained properly because this will turn out to low interest of voters in this by-election.”

In Slipway Community, Central Monrovia, voters were furious with polling staff, who could not find their names on the roster although their photos were printed in the booklet.

Ciapha Weah, 43, says he was at the center at 8 a.m. but he couldn’t find his name although his photo was seen in the book.

“I have been here since 8 am but the polling staff said my name is not in the book,” he said.

Four other people had a similar concern as polling staff Jeremiah Toe claimed that the problem was rare.

“We don’t know how NEC printed the book, some names are there but no pictures and some have pictures no name,” the polling staff said.

“This is a complete embarrassment to us because the voters are only insulting us and saying we are irresponsible and we don’t know sh**,” exclaimed another polling staff, who refused to mention his name.

“I think whatever in the FRR should have been corroborated with what printed at the entrances of polling stations.”

Francis Johnson, a polling staff at St. Edwards, said they were deciding if the voters would still cast their ballots.

“Our issue here is simple: some of the names have a missing letter so if your name is Brown Wesseh and your last name has ‘G’ at the end of Weah polling staff will grant you access to vote,” Johnson said.

‘Voters Were not Patient’ – NEC

Patricia Davis, NEC District #8 Supervisor, claims some of those who didn’t vote “weren’t patient”.

“Some came in and we urged them to give us some time, in late hours I went to the headquarters and an index was given were I found some names for them to vote,” David said.

“We wouldn’t say the process was straight and was 100 percent successful because no human is perfect but whatever problems we had today’s problem was as a result of the data room of NEC.”

Henry Flomo, NEC Communications Director, told FPA after polling had closed that the Commission setup hotlines to respond to concerns and provide support to voters.

“Maybe people who have problem did not consult but there were lot of people who got help … I know that a lot of problems was resolved but some people were not patient,” said Flomo, who could not say whether the anomalies in the FRR could have been observed before the Election Day or if it could have been averted.

“The reason we put up these hotlines because we know election will not be perfect because these are manual things we’re doing. We are not doing digital – we knew that there will be problems but we didn’t know the exact problem that would have come.”

Opposition Alarm Before Election Day

Some of the challenges that were manifested on Monday were frequently flagged by opposition political parties before the Election Day. The four opposition collaborating political parties had contended that there were “serious discrepancies and inconsistencies” in the voter roll presented them by the NEC.

The parties alarmed that if the “errors”, were not corrected, the by-elections were bound for problems.

According to Mr. Martin Kolleh, who coordinated the campaign teams of Abraham Darius Dillon and Ms. Telia Urey, they had hired a technical team comprising IT specialists and it was them who uncovered “huge contradictions” in the number of registered voters in Montserrado.

“The first stage of our analyses, we were focused on comparing the numbers, second was to match photos on the voters roll of the 2017 against the most recent, the third was to do analysis on the voters ID to know if some IDs are being repeated and lastly was to identify names on the voters roll without pictures,” said Kolleh at a news conference. He added that there were several mistakes identified in the FRR.

Recurrence of the Past?

The hitches during Monday’s polls have been overshadowed by peaceful conduct; however, it mirrors the country’s 2017 historic elections which presidential runoff was delayed after the Liberty Party contested the first round, citing irregularities in the conduct of the elections by the NEC.

LP, which was later backed by Unity Party, claimed that the October 10, 2017 election was marred by fraud and irregularities and fell short of the minimum requirements to be deemed as free, fair and transparent.

Much of the allegation by the LP, at the time, was based on the poor handling of the voters’ roll and other information.

However, the Supreme Court ruled for the election to go on but the concerns about the NEC’s missteps continued to lurk. And with similar errors reoccurring on July 29 in another landmark political contest between a ruling party opting to keep its claws on a stronghold against a sturdy opposition block, there should be no margin for error.

[rodque]

Liberia: 2017 General Elections

This blogpost will be updated regularly (and reposted) to reflect evolving electoral reality in Liberia. 

Liberian electorate will on October 10 go to the polls to elect a new president and 73 representatives for a six-year term. Final results will be announced 15 days later on October 25, according to Liberia’s National Elections Commission (NEC) election calendar.

How significant is the 2017 general election?

The 2017 general election is historically important for a number of reasons:

Incumbent President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is constitutionally unqualified to seek a third-term and she shows no sign of reneging on her promise to step down in January 2018;

The last time a sort of democratic transition took place was in 1944, which makes the October 10 election the country most significant and consequential election in over 70 years;

And although President Johnson-Sirleaf is not on the ballot (her vice is), the October 10 election could be a referendum on her party’s 12 years of governance.

Will the election commission deliver a free, fair and credible election?

The current commission head by Chairman Jerome G. Korkoya has successful hosted a number of free, fair and credible by-elections and a Special Senatorial Election, despite (of course!) technical and financial constraints. 

But of recent Chairman Korkoya has been mired in a legal controversy over his purported U.S. citizenship, which is incompatible with Liberia’s immigration and naturalization laws.

Nonetheless, the National Election Commission (NEC) is on course with the implementation of the 2017 election calendar.

Will the National Election Commission enforce the Code of Conduct?

Liberia’s 1986 Constitution calls for a Code of Conduct (COC) for public officials and employees of government. But, due in large part to the country’s intermittent 14 years of civil war, this constitutional mandate was not enacted until 2014.

By 2015, however, the constitutionality of the COC - specifically the controversial Part V, Sections 5.1 and 5.2 which sort of “bans” certain category of public officials from actively participation in political activities - was challenged by a potentially affected party. The Supreme Court in its March 2017 ruling upheld the constitutionality of the Code of Conduct, albeit nothing that the law “suffers grave language or textual deficit.” 

In addition to the Code, the residency and domicile  clauses of the 1986 Constitution are likely to be challenged and contested by potentially affected parties if enforced by NEC. 

Enforcement of regulations and statues remains a huge challenge, hence it remains to be seen whether the COC will be adhered to or enforced. 

How many candidates? 

There are at least 21 registered political parties in Liberia, according to the NEC’s website. But it is expected that  no more than 10 political parties will put up presidential candidates.  

Who are the candidates?

A combination of a few old and many new political actors are campaigning to succeed Africa’s first democratically elected female head of state, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.

Prominent among the old political actors are Sirleaf’s vice Joseph Nyumah Boakai of the governing Unity Party (UP), George Weah of the Coalition of Democratic, Charles Brumskine of the Liberty Party (LP), and Prince Johnson of the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR).

Notable new presidential contenders are Alexander  Cummings of the Alternative National Congress (ANC), Benoni Urey of All Liberian Party (ALP), J. Mills Jones of the Movement of Economic Empowerment (MOVEE), and MacDella Cooper of the Union of Liberian Democrats (ULD).

Recent polls (see here, here, and here) put Boakai, Weah, and Brumskine ahead of the presidential pack.

How are the campaigns using social media? 

Most of the presidential contenders are utilizing social media to among others take jab at one another and carry events (such as endorsements, primaries and rallies) live on Facebook.  

MacDella Cooper of the ULD, to name but a few,  has an active social media present as well as Joseph Nyumah Boakai of the UP, George Weah of the CDC and Charles Walker Brumskine of the LP.

How important is ethnicity in the 2017 elections?

The Congo-Country divide is a trending issue in the 2017 elections, with one party accusing the other of propagating the divide between the settlers (commonly known as Congo people) who founded the Republic in 1847 and the non-settlers (i.e., Country people) who were met on the ground in the 1820s. 

Regional factor and vote-rich county politics are also in play as presidential hopefuls such as Charles Brumskine, Alexander Cummings and George Weah picked their running mate from the strategic, vote-rich counties of Nimba and Bong.

The governing UP presidential hopeful, Joseph Boakai, is yet to select his running mate.

How are the political parties funding their campaigns?

According to the New Elections Law of Liberia and NEC’s 2017 regulations and guidelines, those of “Liberian nationality or origin” regardless of residency “shall have the right to contribute to the funds and election expenses of any political party or candidate.” 

But such funding shall not exceed $2, 000, 000,  $1, 500, 000, $600, 000 and $400, 000, respectively, for president, vice president, senator and representative.

If current spending levels continue, the opposition Liberty Party is poised to outspend all political parties including the governing Unity Party.

Will there be post-election violence?

Probably not. Or perhaps. But if the previous three nation-wide elections (2005, 2011, and 2014) are any guide, nothing of significant proportion as is typically seen in a post-election violence setting could occur in Liberia.

Make it trend, #LiberiaDecides #LiberiaElections2017 or #LIB2017.

[focusonliberia]

Conversation with Ms. MacDella Cooper

[gibsonsflowofthoughts]

Black Scientist Awarded Over 100 Patents To Be Honored

George Njoroge, Ph.D., has been awarded over 100 patents for his work in cancer and immunology research and discovery. Although all of Njoroge’s patents and accomplishments were all in the United States, a quick search online reveals media coverage largely from African publishers. This weekend the scientist will be honored with the Pioneer Award for Impact in Science and Medicine at Face2Face Africa’s FACE List Awards.

With over 30 years of experience in research, Njoroge is currently a senior research fellow at global pharmaceutical corporation Lilly. He was formerly a director in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry at Merck Research Laboratories where he oversaw chemistry program in infectious diseases platform. Through research leadership at Merck, an anti-HCV viral drug Victrelis™ (also known as Boceprevir or SCH 503034) was discovered. This medicine was approved by the FDA on May 13, 2011, as the first-in-class therapy for Hepatitis C treatment and is currently in the market.

Set to begin Thursday, July 12 at the Metropolitan West, the weekend kicks off with the Pan-African Women’s Forum (PAWF), which is in its second year. PAWF will provide the platform for attendees to engage and network with groundbreaking and industrious women.

We have just two more days to go (can't hide our excitement) Come network, interact, build meaningful connections and celebrate Black excellence at the 7th annual Pan-African Weekend in NYC!! #PAW18 #ChangingOurStory

Visit https://t.co/YoJ5i56t7X for tickets. pic.twitter.com/covwrY3xSj

— Face2face Africa (@Face2faceAFRICA) July 10, 2018

The Women’s Forum will be followed by the IAAPA Networking, Business and Career Expo on the second day of the PAW. The expo will connect Pan-African professionals and local businesses through exhibitions, networking, interactive breakout sessions, and more. The weekend will wrap up on Saturday, July 14 with the FACE List Awards—where leaders who have had tremendous impact on the Pan-African community are recognized for their achievements.

“At Face2face Africa, our mission is to change the Pan-African narrative and establish innovate platforms to help foster a more unified and empowered black diaspora community,” said Sandra Appiah, CEO of Face2Face Africa. “The FACE List Awards gala is just one of the ways we do this each year. We highlight the contributions of people of African descent by celebrating and honoring modern-day pioneers and trailblazers who are making an impact in the world.”

Njoroge, along with three other nominees, will be honored at the FACE List Awards. Gregg Bishop, the commissioner for New York City’s Department of Small Business Services (SBS) who is charged with running the city’s agency focused on equity of opportunity that leads to self-sufficiency and mobility for New York’s diverse communities, will receive the Community Development Award.

Rev. Dr. DeForest B. Soaries Jr., who has served as the senior pastor for First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens (FBCLG) for the past 27 years in Somerset, New Jersey, will receive the Pioneer Award for Impact in Advocacy and Community Development. Millen Magese, world-renowned fashion model and humanitarian, will be awarded the 2018 Global Ambassador for her significant contributions to charities such as the Tanzania Education Trust, African Rainforest Conservancy, and the MacDella Cooper Foundation. She has also established the Millen Magese foundation to empower women and girls of Tanzania.

An organization devoted to being the voice of the voice of the emergent generation of African descendants, Face2Face Africa established the FACE List Awards in 2011 as a platform to acknowledge, celebrate, and honor the outstanding achievements of Africans and Africans in the diaspora who are contributing toward a more dynamic and advanced global community.

Join the Conversation

Good article originally from: blackenterprise

[vennomax]

Election 2017 Review: Liberia set to replace Africa’s first democratically elected female president

New Post has been published on http://www.vennomax.com/africa/election-2017-review-liberia-set-to-replace-africas-first-democratically-elected-female-president/

Election 2017 Review: Liberia set to replace Africa’s first democratically elected female president

When Ellen Sirleaf Johnson was elected in 2006 as the first female African president in Liberia, the world congratulated Liberia upon this historic step. It was hoped that President Sirleaf would positively change the fortunes of a nation that had been so ravaged by back-to-back civil wars between 1989 and 2003.

While it was hoped that her background as a development economist would help rebuild Liberia’s shattered economy, many poor Liberians say their lives have not changed much since she became president.

After having served the two maximum terms provided for by the constitution, it was time for Sirleaf to step down and several candidates were lined up to replace her.

The most notable candidates included ex-football star George Weah who was contesting the presidency for the second time after running unsuccessfully for the presidency in 2005 and the country’s vice president Joseph Boakai who had been fronted by the ruling party.

Weah and Boakai, the leading contenders in the race promised to improve education and create jobs. While Weah, running on the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) party ticket, was leveraging his status as a star with appeal among the young electorate, Boakai of the Unity Party (UP) campaigned as a natural transition candidate that every Liberian could relate to.

The other candidates in the race included Charles Brumskine of the Liberty Party, MacDella Cooper, a philantropist, Alexander B. Cummings, a business executive, Prince Johnson, a former rebel leader, Joseph Mills Jones, former Governor of the Central Bank of Liberia, Richard Miller, a businessman, Benoni Urey, another businessman, MacDonald A. Wento of the United People’s Party and Jeremiah Whapoe, a businessman.

The October 10 polls were largely incident free and after tallying, George Weah emerged winner of the polls with 38.4% of the vote against his closest rival’s 28.8% garnered by vice president Joseph Boakai.

The country’s constitution requires a candidate wins at least half of the votes cast to be declared president-elect. Therefore, a run-off was necessary to determine Liberia’s next president.

The electoral commission set November 8 as the date for the run off and campaigns restarted in earnest. But these were disrrupted by a court injunction halting the run off process until a petition filed by the 2nd runner up in the October 10 poll, Charles Brumskine, had been heard and determined by the Supreme Court.

Run-off or Re-run

Charles Brumskine of the Liberty Party petitioned the court calling for a re-run of the entire presidential poll, arguing that the process had been marred with fraud and electoral malpractices including ballot stuffing and false voter registration cards, which brought into question the validity of the election outcome. These allegations were backed up by second place Boakai.

But the claims were rejected by the National Elections Commission (NEC), which found that the parties of the two candidates had failed to provide “indubitable evidence” that the vote was tainted. The Supreme Court heard the arguments of the plaintiffs and delivered its verdict on December 7.

In a 4-1 decision, the majority decison read by Justice Philip Banks contended that the petitioner had not provided adequate evidence to support claims of irregularities to an extent that would convince the court to call for a re-run of the election.

The minority judge, Justice Kabineh M. Ja’neh however argued that it was erroneous for his colleagues to disregard the glaring irregularities and evidence f gross irregularities in electoral process leading up to and during the October polls.

The country’s election commission was ordered to set a date for the re-run and cautioned to fully comply with the country’s electoral laws in conducting this election.

The electoral commission has since set December 26 as the date for the re-run that will see the Coalition for Democratic Change’s George Weah face off against Unity Party’s Joseph Boakai.

“I am pleased to announce that the 2017 presidential runoff elections will be conducted on Tuesday, December 26, 2017,” the president of the National Elections Commission (NEC), Jerome Korkoya, said.

Vice President Boakai has since petitioned the Supreme Court seeking an injunction to halt this Dec 26 run-off vote. The petition challenges the credibility of the country’s electoral body to conduct a free and fair election.

It is yet to be established whether the Supreme Court will hear this latest development in the electoral journey.

[vioncentral-blog]

Liberia elections: Will George Weah win as he contests for the second time?

http://www.vionafrica.cf/liberia-elections-will-george-weah-win-as-he-contests-for-the-second-time/

Liberia elections: Will George Weah win as he contests for the second time?

George Weah is an iconic world footballer with huge political ambitions in Liberia. The former Ballon d’Or winner has however not been able to dribble himself into the top political office in Liberia.

After retiring from football in 2003, Weah contested for the presidency against Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in 2005, an unsuccessful venture that was replicated in 2011 when he contested for Vice President as Winston Tubman’s running mate.

Weah, who is currently a senator is contesting under the Congress for Democratic Change for president. Campaigns closed on Sunday in preparation for elections on Tuesday, October 10th. The importance of these elections can’t be overstated as it’s the first time a democratically elected president will hand over to another in post war Liberia.

Read: Now the hard work begins: passing the peace baton in Liberia

Weah’s vice-presidential running mate is the ex-wife of Charles Taylor, Jewel Howard Taylor. Weah’s major threat to the presidency is the current vice president, Joseph Boakai who doesn’t have the endorsement of President Sirleaf Johnson.

With 20 candidates contesting for the elections, four are considered the major contestants: incumbent Vice President, Boakai of the Unity Party (UP); football icon, Weah of the CDC; Liberty Party’s (LP) Charles Brumskine; and the Alternative Congress’ (ANC) Alexander Cummings.

Weah’s popularity in Liberia is undeniable, a football star contesting for president. It is a near similar story to Uganda’s musician turned politician, Bobby Wine. But for Weah, having the former spouse of a former rebel leader is not a big issue. Besides, a former warlord, Prince Johnson is also contesting to become the next president. Johnson videoed the torture of Liberia’s former sitting president, Samuel Doe.

Read: Liberia’s President Sirleaf, “it’s time for the new generation to take over.”

The only woman contesting for the elections, MacDella Cooper is Weah’sa former girlfriend, adding to the political intrigue of the country. The major opponent who is likely to give Weah a tough time is Boakai. Other contestants such as Alexander Cumming, a former Coca Cola executive who returned to Liberia from the U.S. and Charles Brumskine, a former ally of Charles Taylor have managed to garner a following but not seen as enough to threaten Weah’s ambitions.

[newstfionline]

Liberia Holds a Free Election. Make That ‘Free-for-All.’

By Helene Cooper, NY Times, Oct. 6, 2017

MONROVIA, Liberia--Democracy has finally taken root in this tiny country.

Hundreds of young people danced on Wednesday to the beat of West African highlife music blaring from generator-powered speakers outside the headquarters of supporters of the imprisoned warlord Charles G. Taylor.

The ubiquitous scent of coal fires and marijuana wafted through the air. Posters of George Weah, the former professional soccer player and standard-bearer of the Congress for Democratic Change, wearing distinguished eyeglasses and salt-and-pepper chin stubble, looked over the crowd.

Less than a mile down the road, the Unity Party was hosting its own jam, with food and free-flowing drinks. Candidates routinely pass out cash at these affairs, and the latest video making its way through Liberian social media shows a presidential candidate, Oscar Cooper, in white undershirt and jeans, standing in a doorway handing out money as people file out.

Voters go to the polls on Tuesday, and for the first time since anybody can remember, a sitting, democratically elected Liberian president is about to hand over the reins to a democratically elected successor.

Like its parent country, the United States, Liberia, founded by freed American blacks on an unruly slice of tropical West African coastline almost 200 years ago, is greatly divided over who should try to govern it. “Even if Jesus came down, people would argue over whether to vote for him,” Rodney D. Sieh, the editor of FrontPage Africa, said about this ostentatiously Christian country.

But any resemblance to American presidential elections ends there.

Liberian democracy means daily traffic jams caused by thousands of people marching through the streets chanting campaign slogans. “Our ma spoil it, our pa will fix it,” is the curious offering of some supporters of the ruling Unity Party. The “ma” in this case is President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, now feuding with her vice president, Joseph Boakai--he would be the “pa”--over sundry misdeeds.

Liberian democracy means having a chance to leave rural villages and partake in the nightly parties.

“I am here to show that Oppong is qualified to be the next leader of Africa,” announced a cheerful Morris Dwah, referring to Mr. Weah, whom Liberians routinely call by his nom de soccer. Mr. Dwah said he had traveled for two days from Nimba to take part in the festivities.

This battle over which of 20 registered candidates will succeed Ms. Sirleaf, the first woman in Africa to be democratically chosen as president, often resembles a roof-raising party--but it also sometimes seems to be just on the edge of requiring a phone call to the police.

Fights between supporters of Mr. Weah and Mr. Boakai break out routinely; in Kakata last month several people were hospitalized after one fracas. Supporters stage impromptu daily marches, banging on the windows of cars in their way. And the memory of the country’s 14-year civil war, which came complete with child soldiers and rebel fighters wearing wedding gowns and blond wigs, hangs over it all.

In a radio broadcast at the beginning of the campaign season, Ms. Sirleaf urged her would-be successors to keep a lid on things. “We hold them as political leaders who seek the highest office of our land to act with dignity and responsibility that befits that office--to live up to their commitments to ensure violence-free elections,” she said.

But a quick perusal of those potential successors shows that may be easier said than done. Mr. Weah’s vice-presidential running mate is Mr. Taylor’s ex-wife, Jewel Howard Taylor, who told reporters last month that although her ex-husband isn’t involved in Liberian politics any longer--he is locked up in a British prison for war crimes--he still has promises that need to be kept. She called for putting Mr. Taylor’s agenda “back on the table.”

Her remarks so alarmed European Union officials in Monrovia that they put out a statement reminding Liberians that Mr. Taylor, who resigned as president in 2003, is in the fifth year of a 50-year prison sentence, and that it is not going to be “overruled because of a change of president in Liberia.” The statement noted that a condition of Mr. Taylor’s sentence is that “he does not attempt to interfere in Liberian politics, and this is monitored closely by prison authorities.”

Also running for president is Prince Johnson, one of the former warlords roaming around town. Mr. Johnson, the standard-bearer of the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction, is best known for ordering the killing of President Samuel K. Doe back at the start of the Liberian civil war in which a quarter-million people died.

Back in 1990, Mr. Johnson sipped a beer while ordering his youthful forces to cut off Mr. Doe’s ears; the video is widely available on the internet. But that hasn’t stopped Mr. Johnson’s political progress--he was elected senator from Nimba County in 2005, and came in third when he ran for president in 2011.

Mr. Johnson does not like Mr. Weah, whom he recently called a “drunk” in a radio interview. “His men have gone on rampage injuring people here and there,” complained the former warlord of the former soccer player. “If this guy is elected as president of Liberia, I see the country going back to war.”

Mr. Johnson recently split from an alliance with another candidate, Benoni Urey, who is, yes, another former Taylor ally. Mr. Urey is believed to be the richest man in Liberia--or at least he was, before he started his run for president and had to spend some of his money.

Mr. Urey, of the All Liberian Party, flirted with a merger with Mr. Johnson back in April, but that quickly broke up over quarrels about who would be at the top of the ticket. Mr. Johnson told reporters that Mr. Urey “may have money, but I have the numbers.” Mr. Urey, he said, should act like Mr. Taylor’s former wife, who “humbled herself to go under Weah.”

Mr. Urey was a close adviser to Mr. Taylor, and spent a decade on a United Nations travel ban list and a United States Treasury Department list that prohibited him from doing business with Americans. United States officials say his ties to Mr. Taylor mean that it is unlikely they would grant him a visa, which could be problematic should he become president.

Then there are Charles Brumskine, a lawyer and perennial presidential candidate, and Alex Cummings, a dark horse former Coca-Cola executive who has raced in recent weeks to catch up with the usual names. Mr. Cummings heads the Alternative National Congress party. He spent decades living and working overseas, but has apparently regained his Liberian accent and has made a big impact on the political scene since his return.

Unlike his opponents, Mr. Cummings is holding off on his own “launching” party until Saturday, just before such events are shut down, in the hopes of staging a big show of support before voters head to the polls. That political maneuver promptly spurred other parties to schedule additional parties, so this weekend is expected to be gridlock in Monrovia.

Mr. Weah’s ex-girlfriend is also running for president.

A model turned philanthropist, MacDella Cooper was once called a “serial husband stealer” in The New York Post’s Page Six column. Back during the salad days of their relationship, Ms. Cooper and Mr. Weah traveled together to Monte Carlo and Mexico. In 2014, she told The Post that Mr. Weah was the father of her third child, and that she was a future Liberian first lady. But things went downhill, as they sometimes do, and now Ms. Cooper is running against her former beau as the candidate of the Liberia Restoration Party.

She is the only woman at the top of a ticket. Ms. Cooper told journalists last weekend that Ms. Sirleaf’s recent statement that it was time for “generational change” in Liberia was, as far as Ms. Cooper was concerned, a “clear endorsement for me, the only female candidate in the ensuing presidential race, because I am the youngest contender among the men.”

She is 40.

Finally, there is Ms. Sirleaf’s vice president, Mr. Boakai, who at the moment is involved in a spat with the president under whom he has served for 12 years. She is mad because of slogans like “our ma spoil it, our pa will fix it.” He is mad because Mrs. Sirleaf said that she was not going to hand him the presidency, and that he would have to work for it.

Whatever the case, the president has not been out campaigning for him, and there are whispers that she is flirting with Mr. Brumskine, with Mr. Cummings, even with Mr. Weah, whom she beat twice.

Such is democracy in Liberia. No one expects anyone to get over 50 percent on Tuesday, so there will probably be a runoff election, and the top two candidates will battle each other.

[anglenews]

MacDella Cooper running for president of Liberia http://www.anglenews.com/2017/02/19/macdella-cooper-running-for-president-of-liberia/

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The most successful and longest lasting civilization in history (4000 years) was the Kemet dynasty which was mostly an egalitarian society.