Friday, 9th November 2007
Monrovia, Liberia--President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf says she is committed to holding mayoral elections in Liberia in October 2008. She has assured that she will not violate the principle of elections.
The President gave the assurance today at the Foreign Ministry when she met with the Forum of Political Parties Association in Liberia. The meeting, which focused on issues of national concern, was characterized by a frank exchange of views.
The Liberian leader emphasized that it is her desire to have a constitutional change which would lead to the election of superintendents and expressed her concern about the proliferation of cities in Liberia. The President further revealed that the issue of ghost workers in Liberia’s civil service remains a major challenge, stating that 17,000 ghost names were recently discovered on government’s payroll.
For his part, the leader of the Forum of the Political Parties in Liberia, Mr. Nyandeh Sieh, expressed the group’s willingness to have the lawsuit brought upon the Government of Liberia by the Liberty Party and the Congress for Democratic Change over the appointment of an Acting Mayor of Zwedru taken out of court. He further stressed that his group would leave no stone unturned in holding a forum to enable all parties to discuss the matter. He also congratulated President Johnson Sirleaf for receiving America’s Presidential Medal of Freedom. The group stressed the need for the President to travel abroad and restore Liberia’s tarnished image, adding that Liberians will realize the benefits in the long run.