Opposition Political Parties Unite, Sign MOU to Protect Votes

MONROVIA – Major opposition political parties have joined forces by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to ensure the protection and safeguarding of their votes in the upcoming October 10 polls.

The signing ceremony took place on Monday, August 28, 2023, at the Royal Grand Hotel in Monrovia.
Sara Beysolow Nyanti, the lead organizer of the MOU, provided insight into the purpose of this collaborative effort. “Coming together in relation to safeguarding and protecting the vote of Liberian people is a very positive step in the right direction of the opposition,” she said.

Madam Beyslow expressed her gratitude to the opposition political parties that participated in the event, stressing the importance of national unity.

She revealed that a total of sixteen opposition political parties had expressed their interest in the MOU, with eleven parties formally signing on.

In a brief statement during the signing ceremony, CPP Standard Bearer Cummings affirmed their commitment to ensuring that the election results truly reflect the will of the Liberian people. He underlined that it is the responsibility of President Weah to oversee a free and fair election process.

Similarly, Cllr. Gongloe, the Standard Bearer of the Liberia People Party, emphasized the unity behind the shared goal of safeguarding the integrity of the election results. He noted that this is a non-negotiable issue that should unite all participants in the political process, regardless of party affiliations. Cllr. Gongloe stressed that credible election results are essential for sustaining peace and attracting investments to the country.

“I think the issue of the integrity of the election result is not a debatable issue, is an issue that should unite everyone participating in the political process including the ruling party because if the election results is not credible our peace will not be sustained” Cllr. Gongloe said.

Rev. Luther Tarpeh, Chairman of the Unity Party (UP), voiced his full support for the MOU. He highlighted the need for opposition parties to unite to remove President Weah from office, asserting that this unity is crucial to steering the country in the right direction.
“Our people believe that the opposition should come together and defeat President Georg Weah and his government to save the country from heading in the wrong direction,” Rev. Tarpeh said

Rev. Tarpeh clarified that their unity is directed towards opposing the Weah-Taylor government rather than competing against each other.

The signing of this MOU by opposition political parties signifies a significant step towards ensuring transparent and credible election results, and also signals there is a possibility of a united opposition should there be a runoff between an opposition and the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC).