{"id":67165,"date":"2024-11-06T11:45:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-06T11:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/nec-protest-a-tale-beyond-staff-hazard-benefits"},"modified":"2024-11-06T11:45:00","modified_gmt":"2024-11-06T11:45:00","slug":"nec-protest-a-tale-beyond-staff-hazard-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/nec-protest-a-tale-beyond-staff-hazard-benefits","title":{"rendered":"NEC Protest, A Tale Beyond Staff Hazard Benefits"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Liberia. <\/strong><\/span> As chairperson Davidetta Brown-Lansanah, Co-chair Teplah Reeves clash again<\/b><\/p>\n

The National Elections Commission (NEC) in Liberia, despite receiving widespread praise for its historic conduct of the 2023 legislative and presidential elections, is now facing internal disputes that have come to light. Reports indicate significant tensions between Chairperson Davidetta Brown Lansanah and most, if not all, of her fellow commissioners, particularly Co-Chairperson P. Teplah Reeves. These tensions revolve around issues of accountability, leadership, and financial management within the Commission.<\/p>\n

Recently, the conflict led to both Lansanah and Reeves appearing separately on OK FM 99.5\u2019s Morning Rush show, where they responded to allegations amid growing unrest among the NEC staff. On November 5, the Commission\u2019s activities were disrupted when 110 staff members protested, demanding their \u201cjust benefits,\u201d including election hazard allowances.<\/p>\n

The protesting employees signed a resolution calling for swift action on their demands, which reportedly are only part of broader grievances within the NEC. They assert that they lack secure insurance coverage despite routinely facing high risks during election periods, which includes transporting materials to remote areas and ensuring the conduct of voting.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Chairperson of the Board of Commissioners should immediately and formally establish a committee to determine terms, especially the six-month hazard allowance and insurance benefits for staff, with the budget transfer of the remaining declared funds,\u201d stated the aggrieved employees.<\/p>\n

Rennie Gleegar, the spokesperson for the staff, emphasized that they would not resume work until their demands were met, expressing frustration over the recent lack of transportation support from the Commission, which has imposed a financial burden on them. The staff\u2019s resolution, dated October 30, 2024, invokes Section 2.4 of the New Elections Law, allowing the NEC\u2019s Board of Commissioners to make decisions related to staff welfare when a quorum is present.<\/p>\n

US$8 million surplus<\/b><\/p>\n

At the center of the controversy is a surplus of US$8 million from the 2023 elections budget. Originally, the NEC requested US$91 million for the elections, but this was negotiated down by the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning to US$53 million. The Commission reportedly completed the election successfully under budget, resulting in a balance of $8 million, of which US$2 million was subsequently used for by-elections in Grand Gedeh and Nimba County following vacancies.<\/p>\n

Chairperson Lansanah has defended her decision to return the remaining funds to the government, stating that it is \u201cnot the money of the NEC\u201d and should be returned. She suggested that some within the Commission, including Co-Chairperson Reeves, opposed this decision, believing that the surplus should be retained by the NEC. \u201cThe co-chair raised the issue of why this money should have been sent back to the government. This is what she said,\u201d Lansanah stated on air. She speculated that certain government officials might be instigating the staff protests but maintained she had done nothing wrong in returning the funds.<\/p>\n

Lansanah claims the NEC has already provided six months of hazard benefits to employees and that, to her knowledge, the government, through the NEC, owes nothing further. She also noted that plans to construct a staff canteen, a decision made by the entire Board, were not solely her initiative. \u201cThe proposal for a canteen came from the vision that staff needed a space to eat and talk, and to keep food from attracting pests. It would have been a good use of funds, but unfortunately, it didn\u2019t materialize,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Responding to accusations of unilateral decision-making, Lansanah stated she has always welcomed input from all commissioners, though as chair, she sometimes has to make final decisions.<\/p>\n

Co-Chair Reeves\u2019 counterclaims<\/b><\/p>\n

Co-Chairperson Reeves disputes Lansanah\u2019s portrayal of events, suggesting that the chair has been running the NEC unilaterally. Reeves claims the other commissioners have been excluded from key decisions and lack the respect and authority granted to them by law.<\/p>\n

Reeves denied any intention to keep the surplus but expressed concern that the Board was unaware of the funds until Lansanah presented plans to use part of it for initiatives not outlined in the original 2023 budget, including US$450,000 for headquarters renovations\u2014a sum she considers excessive.<\/p>\n

CSA\u2019s Intervention<\/b><\/p>\n

The head of the Civil Service Agency, Josiah Jokai, intervened by visiting the NEC headquarters, where he met with the aggrieved staff. Jokai pledged to consult with Finance Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, the NEC Board, and other stakeholders to find a resolution within three days. Following his assurance, the staff agreed to pause their protest, hopeful that their demands will soon be addressed.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Liberia<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Liberia. As chairperson Davidetta Brown-Lansanah, Co-chair Teplah Reeves clash again The National Elections Commission (NEC) in Liberia, despite receiving widespread praise for its historic conduct of the 2023 legislative and presidential elections, is now facing internal disputes that have come to light. Reports indicate significant tensions between Chairperson Davidetta Brown Lansanah and most, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":67164,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[233,237,234],"class_list":["post-67165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-liberia","tag-liberia"],"yoast_head":"\nNEC Protest, A Tale Beyond Staff Hazard Benefits - Liberia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/nec-protest-a-tale-beyond-staff-hazard-benefits\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NEC Protest, A Tale Beyond Staff Hazard Benefits\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Africa-Press – Liberia. As chairperson Davidetta Brown-Lansanah, Co-chair Teplah Reeves clash again The National Elections Commission (NEC) in Liberia, despite receiving widespread praise for its historic conduct of the 2023 legislative and presidential elections, is now facing internal disputes that have come to light. Reports indicate significant tensions between Chairperson Davidetta Brown Lansanah and most, […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/nec-protest-a-tale-beyond-staff-hazard-benefits\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Liberia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-11-06T11:45:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/nec-protest-a-tale-beyond-staff-hazard-benefits#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/nec-protest-a-tale-beyond-staff-hazard-benefits\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"NEC Protest, A Tale Beyond Staff Hazard Benefits\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-11-06T11:45:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/nec-protest-a-tale-beyond-staff-hazard-benefits\"},\"wordCount\":759,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/nec-protest-a-tale-beyond-staff-hazard-benefits#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/liberia\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/Hazrati1730880913.250695.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa Press\",\"Africa Press-Liberia\",\"Liberia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/nec-protest-a-tale-beyond-staff-hazard-benefits#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/nec-protest-a-tale-beyond-staff-hazard-benefits\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/nec-protest-a-tale-beyond-staff-hazard-benefits\",\"name\":\"NEC Protest, A Tale Beyond Staff Hazard Benefits - Liberia\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/nec-protest-a-tale-beyond-staff-hazard-benefits#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/nec-protest-a-tale-beyond-staff-hazard-benefits#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/liberia\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/Hazrati1730880913.250695.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-11-06T11:45:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/nec-protest-a-tale-beyond-staff-hazard-benefits#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/nec-protest-a-tale-beyond-staff-hazard-benefits\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/nec-protest-a-tale-beyond-staff-hazard-benefits#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/liberia\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/Hazrati1730880913.250695.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/liberia\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/Hazrati1730880913.250695.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":538,\"caption\":\"NEC Protest, A Tale Beyond Staff Hazard Benefits\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/nec-protest-a-tale-beyond-staff-hazard-benefits#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"NEC Protest, A Tale Beyond Staff Hazard Benefits\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/\",\"name\":\"Liberia\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"cfeditoren\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"NEC Protest, A Tale Beyond Staff Hazard Benefits - Liberia","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/nec-protest-a-tale-beyond-staff-hazard-benefits","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"NEC Protest, A Tale Beyond Staff Hazard Benefits","og_description":"Africa-Press – Liberia. As chairperson Davidetta Brown-Lansanah, Co-chair Teplah Reeves clash again The National Elections Commission (NEC) in Liberia, despite receiving widespread praise for its historic conduct of the 2023 legislative and presidential elections, is now facing internal disputes that have come to light. Reports indicate significant tensions between Chairperson Davidetta Brown Lansanah and most, […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/nec-protest-a-tale-beyond-staff-hazard-benefits","og_site_name":"Liberia","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa","article_published_time":"2024-11-06T11:45:00+00:00","author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/nec-protest-a-tale-beyond-staff-hazard-benefits#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/nec-protest-a-tale-beyond-staff-hazard-benefits"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"NEC Protest, A Tale Beyond Staff Hazard Benefits","datePublished":"2024-11-06T11:45:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/nec-protest-a-tale-beyond-staff-hazard-benefits"},"wordCount":759,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/nec-protest-a-tale-beyond-staff-hazard-benefits#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/liberia\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/Hazrati1730880913.250695.jpg","keywords":["Africa Press","Africa Press-Liberia","Liberia"],"articleSection":["all news","policy"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/nec-protest-a-tale-beyond-staff-hazard-benefits#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/nec-protest-a-tale-beyond-staff-hazard-benefits","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/nec-protest-a-tale-beyond-staff-hazard-benefits","name":"NEC Protest, A Tale Beyond Staff Hazard Benefits - Liberia","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/nec-protest-a-tale-beyond-staff-hazard-benefits#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/nec-protest-a-tale-beyond-staff-hazard-benefits#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/liberia\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/Hazrati1730880913.250695.jpg","datePublished":"2024-11-06T11:45:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/nec-protest-a-tale-beyond-staff-hazard-benefits#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/nec-protest-a-tale-beyond-staff-hazard-benefits"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/nec-protest-a-tale-beyond-staff-hazard-benefits#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/liberia\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/Hazrati1730880913.250695.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/liberia\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/Hazrati1730880913.250695.jpg","width":1024,"height":538,"caption":"NEC Protest, A Tale Beyond Staff Hazard Benefits"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/nec-protest-a-tale-beyond-staff-hazard-benefits#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"NEC Protest, A Tale Beyond Staff Hazard Benefits"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/","name":"Liberia","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"cfeditoren"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67165"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67165\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}