MONROVIA: The Liberian People’s Party (LPP), whose Standard-bearer is Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe, and its auxiliaries have endorsed the Standard-bearer of the Unity Party (UP), Joseph Boakai, for the November 14, 2023 Presidential runoff.
Incumbent President Weah of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), will face opposition leader, Joseph Nyuma Boakai of the Unity Party (UP), in the runoff.
The two parties did not have the percentage of votes required, to declare the winner of the 10, October, 2023 Presidential and Legislative elections.
The results of the first round of the polls in October show that Liberians voted for the parties (CDC and UP) from among twenty presidential candidates.
On 14, November, Liberians will go to the polls to choose from CDC’s George Weah and UP’s Joseph Boakai, in order for the NEC to declare a winner for the Presidential election.
Addressing a News Conference at the LPP National Headquarters in Congo’s Town on Wednesday, October 25, 2023, LPP National Chairman, J. Yanqui Zaza, disclosed that despite LPP’s critical views of the two parties preferred by the Liberian voters, LPP is making the decision, whether to tell their partisans to remain neutral or to choose one of the candidates.
He said based on broad consultations conducted with LPP partisans and various auxiliary groups in Liberia and the diaspora that supported presidential candidate, Tiawan Saye Gongloe and his running-mate, Dr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo, LPP has decided to support UP’s Joseph Boakai.
He indicated that LPP’s platform was summarized into ten-point agenda for a better Liberia.
He indicated the party’s platform calls for strengthening the rule of law, combatting corruption beginning with publication of assets and salaries of government officials.
He said the platform also included conduct of quarterly lifestyle audits, dismissing and prosecuting those found to be corrupt; taking bold and measurable steps to provide free, compulsory and quality education to Liberian children from kindergarten to 12 grade, eliminating adult illiteracy and providing technical and vocational education to high school dropouts and graduates in order to prepare them for employment.
“Our platform also provides for improving our health sector and making all government hospitals and clinics freely accessible to pregnant women, children under the age of five and all Liberians at age 65 years and above; mechanizing rice production throughout Liberia,” he said
He pointed out that, LPP platform also included establishing public works stations in the fifteen counties to keep the highways and farm to market roads maintained throughout the year, while gradually paving them as well as giving tax incentives to investors for companies that locate their factories fifty miles away from Monrovia.
Mr. Zaza stressed that the party was told by the Liberian people that “our platform and our presidential candidate were good, but this was not our time.”
“We are choosing the Unity Party based on our expectation that the party that we chose to support will do the following in the first hundred (100) days of its administration,” he said.
The LPP Chairman said the party chose the Unity Party with the hope that they will take measurable steps to improve the rule of law, through strengthening law enforcement and the independence of the judiciary.
He expressed the hope that the UP will publish the asset declarations of all officials of government along with their salaries and benefits, Increase the salaries of civil servants including police officers, nurses, military and paramilitary, teachers, janitors, etc.
He calls on the UP government, if elected, to begin a quarterly lifestyle audits of officials of government in the Executive Branch and take steps toward the investigation of all sanctioned officials in government with the assistance of the US Government as well as take steps towards the establishment of a War and Economic Crimes Court.
The LPP wants increase in the budget percentage to begin mechanized agriculture; and increase percentage for education, agriculture and health to be at least 15 percent each in the 2024 budget and to put public works stations in the fifteen counties in order to improve the freedom of movement during the rainy season.
“We hereby place on notice the party that we are declaring support for today, that upon its failure to meet these expectations, we will be the first to condemn and criticize them” he said.
Mr. Zaza indicated that there was jubilation from his partisans when LPP declared support for the only opposition (UP) that was chosen by the Liberian people, to compete with the ruling party, (CDC).
Mr. Zaza then, and calls on LPP partisans to go out to campaign and vote for the Unity Party and to ensure that the Unity Party wins this second round of the 2023 Presidential Election.
