Monrovia, October 19th, 2011; Sen. Prince Y. Johnson and his decision to join the ruling party seems to be making headlines in today’s papers. New Democrat reports that,the leader of the National Union for Democratic Progress, Senator Prince Y. Johnson, says his support of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in the runoff would include power sharing and job opportunities for the people of Nimba County. In a story headlined, PYJ Moves To Consolidate Ellen's Campaign In Nimba, the paper adds thatSen. Johnson, who plans a mass meeting with Nimba citizens from all walks of life in Sanniquelle today to set the pace for endorsing Mrs. Sirleaf ahead of consultative party talks, said: “I don't need money. If you give me money I will use it and its finished. But when you have a job, it keeps you going”.
PYJ Receives 48 Hours Ultimatum, reports the New Dawn. Executives of the National Union for Democratic Progress have given their Standard Bearer a 48 Hour ultimatum to retract statement of support to the ruling Unity Party. The party's executives said a serious action awaits Senator Johnson if he refuses to apologize and provide reasons why he took the action to support incumbent President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf for the pending runoff election. The National Executive of the NUDP has also ordered that the senator appear before that Committee on October 20, 2011 at the party headquarters to explain reasons leading to his unilateral decision to support incumbent President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
According to the Women Voices, US Ambassador Worried Over Dirty Politics and Joins Angie Brooks, Others for Peace Trail. United States Ambassador to Liberia, Linda Thomas Greenfield has expressed concern over what appears to be 'dirty politics' following the peaceful conduct of the October 11 Presidential and legislative elections. The elections were held to determine the next corps of leaders for the country.But following the holding of the elections, which were characterized by huge turnout with no major evidential report of irregularities from local and international observers that monitored the polls, there have been series of attacks on the institutions and threats on the lives of independent journalists.With these threatening signs Amb. Linda Thomas Greenfield has frowned at such attacks, indicating that they do not augur well for the peace and stability of the country.
The Informer newspaper in a story headlined, Ellen Rolls Sleeves For Runoff, writes that President Sirleaf is now putting modalities in place to begin campaigning for the presidential runoff election scheduled for November 8 between her ruling Unity Party and the main opposition Congress for Democratic Change. Presidential Press Secretary Cyrus Wleh Badio told his regular press briefing Monday that the President “accepts the results as the will of the people” although she did not get the one slot victory as had wished.
In other news, Daily Observer reports that, Winston Tubman Hospitalized Family Source: Typhoid; Other Source: Pressure. Cllr. Winston Tubman, Standard Bearer of then Congress for Democratic Change has been hospitalized. Reliable sources said the 70 year old CDC presidential candidate was admitted to the UNMIL Hospital near the Free Zone on Bushrod Island Monday this week. According to our sources, Cllr. Tubman had a touch of typhoid fever and had to be admitted immediately.
The New Republic also reports that,Tubman Hospitalized.The presidential candidate for the Congress for Democratic Change was early Tuesday morning rushed to a Jordan hospital for urgent medical treatment.Cllr. Tubman, a seasoned UN diplomat is running on the CDC ticket.“Yes, Cllr. Tubman is here. He was brought here this morning. At present he is on bed, taking treatment”, one source at the hospital told New Republic.
We end the review with a story from the Heritage newspaper.The paper reports that, LMC Officially Closes Exit Polls Tabulation. The Liberia Media Center close its exit poll tabulation having reached 61% of the votes it aimed at recording. The system was designed to aggregate elections results in real time as they were being processed at various polling places across the country. The Elections reporting system is part of a broader project “Strengthened Media For Transparent Election” supported by USAID through IREX, UNESCO and IMS. Working with close to 400 local reporters in 12 of Liberia's 15 counties, the system enabled many Liberians at home and abroad to follow the vote counting declaration of results at polling places.
This daily news review is compiled by African Elections Project (AEP) Media Monitoring Center at LMC, Monvrovia, Liberia.