TINA S. MEHNPAINE
Africa-Press – Liberia. The Center for Democratic Governance (CDG) has ended a day-long symposium on the analysis on the 2017 and 2020 Supreme Court previous on electoral petitions filed by aggrieved political parties and candidates.
In collaboration with the West Africa Solidarity Network, the seminar’s goal was to inform senior media professionals and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) on how political parties and candidates can approach the court over allegations of electoral fraud and disagreements.
Lawyers presented court procedures, electoral rules, and how political parties and candidates can engage the Supreme Court.
“This training is to help media practitioners communicate to the public. It will enable them to know how political parties file the necessary petition that would petition the Supreme Court,” said Oscar Bloh, executive director, CDG.
CDG is a pro-democracy, advocacy, research, and organizational capacity development think tank institution.
Bloh noted that the media and CSOs are essential for involving the public, particularly during elections. He pointed out that the Supreme Court plays a significant role in many political processes since it aids in educating voters about the Supreme Court’s legal procedures.
He claimed that the goal of the seminar is to give media professionals and CSOs a better understanding of the requirements established by the Supreme Court for the evaluation of petitions for elections filed by political parties.
“Tuesday we go to elect our president, and we assure you that there will be a lot of electoral petitions filed by aggrieved candidates or political parties. We expect that knowledge and skills gained from here will help the media and CSOs create and educate the public on how the Supreme Court worked in its past rulings on electoral disputes.”
Bloh, who also chairs the Election Coordinating Committee (ECC), said that if political parties or candidates have an issue with the credibility of the election results after the October 10 polls, they can address their concerns legally.
“We will be calling on them if there are issues around the outcome of the results they should pursue with legal action, and this training is to help media practitioners communicate with the public.
“That will enable them to file the necessary petition that would petition the Supreme Court. We cannot cover all the newspapers, and we cannot cover all the radio stations. But we hope those who are helped will be able to help.”
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