Ahead of the recent by-elections in four of Liberia’s 15 counties, it was widely expected that the contest and that of the 2023 general elections will be a two horse race between the governing Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) and the collaborating Political Parties (CPP).
But as result started arriving from polling centers in District one Grand Gedeh, Nimba and Bomi counties and district two in Bong County, the narrative was not exactly what people thought it would be.
Both the CDC and CPP failed to win a single seat, with the two candidates featured by the coming second in Grand Gedeh and Bong counties while Prof Francis Maweah of the Movement for Democracy and reconstruction whom they supported in Nimba also came second. For the CPP, three of their candiates came third while one came fourth.
The by-elections were at the result of the election of Edwin Snowe of Bomi County, Price Moye of Bong County, Zoe Emanuel Pennue of Grand Gedeh and Jeremiah Koung of Nimba County to the Liberian Senate.
So Liberia Public Radio deep into what went wrong for the CDC and the CPP in the by-elections.
Coalition for Democratic change CDC
The governing CDC went into the November 16 by-election cognizant of the December 20 midterm election defeat especially in their stronghold Monrserrado County. They chose to only feature two candiates, one in Bong and the other in Grand Gedeh County.
CDC is in bed with the godfather of Nimba Politics Senator Prince Johnson and they decided not to hurt his feelings ahead of the 2023 elections the CDC think they can’t afford losing and opted to support the choice of Senator Johnson, Prof. Francis Maweah.
Senator Johnson has over time been very instrumental in bringing lot of candidates to the legislature given his popularity in the county, but this time, the godfather choice didn’t make it, coming second with 3,428 votes amounting to 28.62% behind independent candidate Sam Brown who won with 6,594 constituting 55.04%. Brown is a member of the National Patriotic Party (NPP), a constituent member of the governing CDC, but ran as an independent candidate after the CDC decided not to feature a candidate against Senator Johnson’s choice.
‘Coalition falling’
The NPP vehemently opposed the CDC decision and vowed to support their partisan Sam Brown which they did on grounds that they were not consulted over the decision fueling speculations the NPP is still not happy within the Coalition.
One may ask why the CDC could not feature Brown who was Senator Koung’s major contender in the 2011 and 2017 elections, but again, you have to remember the CDC and Weah will be seeking re-election and cannot afford to temper with Senator Johnson who until the future can prove otherwise still controls Nimba Politically.
The Nimba County Senator who have aligned with every government since the war for fear of been prosecuted will be seeking re-election for the senate not the Presidency this time around and the governing CDC will be happy if he is able shift his base towards them.
Since the 2017 elections that saw the CDC sweeping the central County of Bong, the Party has failed to win any election in the County. The Party lost the 2019 by-election to replace Jewel Howard Taylor who was elected Vice President to former Cuttington University President Dr. Henrique Tokpa and also lost the 2020 midterm election to Prince Moye then Representative of district two.
The party again failed to win the Bong district two by-election losing out to unexpected James Kolleh of the People’s Unification Party (PUP) with 401 votes.
VP left alone on campaign
Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor who refused to support the Party’s candidate Henry Yallah in the 2020 midterm election despite mounting cry from Yallah was seen abandoned during the by-election campaign of CDC candidate Melvin Salvage.
Salvage is a close ally of VP Taylor and the former Bong Senator did not disappoint their relationship as she was seen mobilizing the base of the CDC across the district. As she mobilizes support in villages and towns one thing that was clear was the Party hierarchy left her in the cold.
Many of them are said to be angry at her for not supporting Yallah who had just crossover from the Peoples Unification Party and were desperate to see the Vice President and her ally Melvin Salvage not to succeed.
Outlining why they lost the election on local radio station, VP Taylor blame disunity among Partisans, noting top executives were supporting other candidates in secret instead of their own.
The Southeastern County of Grand Gedeh has been the base of President George Weah and the CDC since 2005 wining all Presidential elections conducted and scores of the legislative seats. But that all change as result pull in from cross district one in the county vacated by Zoe Emanuel Pennue, CDC candidate Jeremiah Sokan lost to Liberia Restoration Party Madison Gwion. Many are asking how on earth the CDC lost a seat in Grand Gedeh when Weah is President.
Well, supporters of the CDC has been proving justification that both Sokan and Gwion are their partisans which may have split the vote, but such justification is difficult to comprehend as the Party was very clear as to who her candidate was and local officials in the county vigorously campaign for Mr. Sokan.
In Bomi, the CDC abandoned one her own, City Mayor Obadiah Varney and like Nimba opted not to feature a candidate and secretly supported Finda Lansanah wife of late Senator Lahai Lansanah who ran as an independent candidate and was heavily supported by Senator Edwin Snow. Snowe is in bed with the governing CDC like Senator Johnson. The will not like to see their friendship with the man who have defied all oath in Bomi gets undermine.
Collaborating Political Parties CPP
When the collaborating political Parties was founded in 2019, many Liberians thought it was a good idea not just to defeat the Weah Administration that was miserably performing, but to also reduced the number of political Parties in Liberia.
Hope was high when the CPP won four major counties including Montserrado, Bong, Lofa and Grand Bassa County also won Grand Cape Mount and River Gee Counties in the 2020 midterm elections.
That unity has since been overshadowed by fragmentation and division within the four members’ collaboration. CPP has degenerated into chaos with many political pundits stressing that the CPP may breakup long before 2023.
Supporters of former Vice President Joseph Boakai and Alternative National Congress Standard Bearer Alexander Cummings both of whom are the frontrunner for the CPP ticket to face President George Weah are at each other throat on social media platforms as well as the traditional media.
To make matter worse, the Liberty a constituent member of the Collaborating Political Parties remains in crisis as the fight between its Political Leader Senator Nyomblee Kangar Lawrence and chairman Musa Bility appears to be far from over.
The Party is reportedly divided over who to support as Chairman Bility, Secretary General Martin Koleh are leaning towards Cummings, while Madam Lawrence and LP vice Chair for Political Affairs Senator Darius Dillon are said to be on the side of former Vice President Joseph Boakai. The CPP went to the November 16 by-elections completely disarray evidence by the result. The momentum that that greeted the CPP formation and the election in 2020 was nowhere to be found.
In Nimba, candidate Lawrence Sua from the ANC was the only candidates that witness a massive campaign launch, the rest were left alone. All four of CCP candidates perform poor. In Bong county candidate Joshua Better came fourth place accumulating 798 votes constituting 6.2%. The CCP candidate campaign was greatly undermine by his former boss Senator Prince Moye who opted to support Edward Gboe who came third.
Given that the man expected to lead the charge in district two Bong County, had already decided to turn his back on his former Chief of Office Staff (COS), one could clearly see that the CPP was heading for defeat.
Next door in Nimba Alexander Cummings led the charge for Lawrence Sua but it could not stop a CPP defeat. Mr. Sua obtained 995 votes 197 more than what his college in Bong County accumulated. It was the second time Mr. Sua had contested in the District. He contested in 2011 on the ANC ticket and came third accumulating 2,733 votes 1,738 more than what he got from the November 16 by-election.
Across in neighboring Grand Gedeh County it was a story the CCP will not like to explain. The result was the worst of all of their results.
Ansu Dukuly came a distance third with 494 votes amounting to 6.91% of the vote’s caste. Ansu may have gotten that vote on his own strength as no official of the CPP was ever seeing campaigning for him.
In western Liberia, Bomi County, Charles Brown produced the highest votes for the CPP 1,224 constituting 13.80%. Charles campaign launched was graced by Senator Darius Dillon and Nyonblee Kangar Lawrence and former Vice President Joseph Boakai, but Charles didn’t have the cash the Muscle former City mayor Obadiah Varney and Finda Lansana who was supported by Senator Snowe, given that he, Brown works in a legislature where he has led serious of protest for staffers’ benefits.
Another factor that affected the CPP in the November by-election, is the selection of week candidates. Legislative elections are far different from presidential election. It is about who directly represents the people.
A candidate wanting to be Representative his people must have likeness and attraction among voters and has the ability to pull votes on their merit as voters often go for people they personally know and can easily connect with. This was not the case with the CPP selection process and the result clearly shows how unpopular their candiates were.
For the governing CDC, they can smile a little as they will try to convince their former partisan Madison Gwion who won as member of the Liberia Restoration Party, and Sam Brown he went as an independent to join their ranks in parliament, but claiming such victory is completely irrational.
As for the CPP, the result signify a big lost since December 2020 and clearly expose how broken they are right now. A distance third place for three of their candidates and fourth place another in four by-elections is nothing but failure for the CPP.
