2023 Liberia Elections: 19 candidates join the race to unseat incumbent President, George Weah | The Big Stories
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Well, the Liberian election kickstarted yesterday.
00:04 Unfortunately, there are two casualties.
00:06 We'll be connecting live from there,
00:08 but 19 candidates are in a race to unseat
00:11 the Coalition for Democratic Change,
00:13 led by former footballer George Weah,
00:15 after serving his first term in office
00:17 as president of that country.
00:19 Key among them is former Vice President Joseph Mwakai,
00:22 who is leading the biggest opposition party,
00:24 the Unity Party, for the election.
00:26 Now, issues of the economy and security
00:29 remain priority to the electorate.
00:31 Nana Ojima of our Foreign Affairs desk
00:34 has been to the streets of Monrovia and filed this report.
00:39 (crowd chattering)
00:41 - The busy Randolph Street in Monrovia
00:44 is waking up to its usual congestion and chaos.
00:47 Like many parts of Africa,
00:49 these traders have taken to the pavements
00:52 displaying their wares for sale.
00:54 (horn honking)
00:58 Within the group are a small number of traders
01:01 clad in colors of the Unity Party.
01:04 Through music and dance,
01:05 they show their allegiance to the opposition leader,
01:08 Joseph Mwakai.
01:10 For them, the ruling party is struggling
01:12 with corruption and the economy,
01:14 hence the need to give way to the opposition.
01:17 - By the present government,
01:19 we have seen things are not working the way
01:22 he promised the Liberian people to change their lives,
01:24 but we are seeing things have become
01:26 very difficult for people.
01:28 The common Liberian people that were happy before
01:31 with this government,
01:32 they themselves have felt the suffering
01:34 that the government have brought.
01:36 They are only there for themselves.
01:39 They are not there for the people.
01:40 So the rescue team that is led by Mwakai,
01:43 we believe that he got the ingenuity
01:47 to change the country around.
01:50 This is the reason why we choose to follow him.
01:53 - Actually, I'm a former citizen.
01:56 We are going to support Joseph Mwakai
01:57 because he's so integrity.
02:01 We're going to vote on Joseph Mwakai
02:02 because he's someone who has a vision
02:04 to rescue this country.
02:06 That's one of the main reasons we're going to vote
02:07 Joseph Mwakai as the next president of the Liberian people.
02:10 - The issue has to do with President Wia.
02:12 You know, President Wia,
02:12 one state that he is not a politician.
02:15 The Liberian people forced him,
02:16 the surrounding forced him to become president.
02:18 So for him, I can't believe President Wia,
02:19 because he's not a politician.
02:21 They don't know the job.
02:22 So that's the reason why we decided to vote him out.
02:24 President Wia has messed the country up.
02:25 There is no job, there is no company.
02:27 Nothing going on, we are doing business, not buying.
02:30 We're complaining, not buying.
02:31 - On the same Randall streets,
02:36 many hold contrary opinion on the choice of candidates.
02:40 According to these people,
02:41 challenges in the economy is a global phenomenon.
02:45 They believe there is need for a second term for the CDC.
02:49 - Wow, for me, from the situation
02:52 surrounding the current government,
02:54 for me, I see there's a reason
02:56 why he's succeeding in the second term.
02:59 Because we see a lot of development,
03:00 a lot of opportunity, a lot of environment.
03:03 For the past government,
03:04 we have not been doing normal business yet.
03:07 People have been running behind,
03:08 have been chasing us.
03:09 But since we get into the government,
03:10 we have been peaceful and free to do our normal business.
03:13 So for which I've seen,
03:14 it would be better to get in the second term.
03:17 - I'm voting for the best candidate ever.
03:20 - Which one is that?
03:22 - Conjure Giant.
03:23 - The pride of Africa, the black diamond from Liberia.
03:27 And he say, "I'm going to vote for on Tuesday."
03:31 Bakugwa, president-elect again
03:34 for the second term, George F. Manning, we are.
03:36 - Why are they coming to change?
03:38 Why did they not change, they want to change?
03:40 Why they lost, are they looking for the fund?
03:42 So now we prefer the current president
03:44 to be re-voted to be the next president
03:48 of the people of Liberia because he's doing well.
03:49 There are a lot of things that they not set in their country
03:52 that he try to set it.
03:53 People try to blame 175-year-old,
03:56 probably own someone who's yet a president for five years.
04:00 It will never be that.
04:01 Change is a process, it's a gradual thing.
04:03 So we are only retroactive or change.
04:06 So we cannot change where we are.
04:07 - It is the fourth election of the country
04:10 after restoration of democracy in Liberia.
04:13 In deepening democracy,
04:15 the economic community of West African states
04:17 has offered the necessary logistical
04:20 and human resource for the election.
04:22 The streets of Monrovia are excited
04:25 about the upcoming election.
04:27 One thing or one message that is being sent across
04:30 by every person I've spoken to so far
04:33 is that there's need for peace in this country.
04:37 The country would not want to go back
04:40 to the days of civil war.
04:41 For Joy News, Nanaia Ojima reporting.
04:44 (audience chattering)
04:47 - And that was that package put together by Nanaia Ojima.
04:57 He's standing by for us at the polling station
05:00 in Monrovia currently, just to give you a bit of the scoop.
05:03 So on the back of the Frata yesterday
05:07 and two people losing their lives,
05:08 it's all about Joseph Bwakai and his party.
05:11 Remember, under Samuel Doe,
05:14 he was actually a Greek minister.
05:16 Then he became VIP for an extensive period
05:19 under Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
05:22 And currently, he wants to be president.
05:24 He tried the last time, the election went into a runoff
05:27 and George Weah actually came up tops.
05:31 But what will happen this time?
05:32 Nanaia Ojima is standing by for us.
05:34 A very good morning to you, Nanaia.
05:35 Okay, so we'll try to work the connection
05:42 to Nanaia Ojima, get him online
05:45 so he can share his thoughts with us.
05:46 He finds himself currently at a polling station,
05:49 I suspect somewhere in Monrovia, the capital.
05:52 He's part of that team going around,
05:55 ECOWAS team, sanctioned, of course, media person,
05:58 bringing us the scoop on the latest developments there.
06:01 But we also know that on the back
06:03 of some of the reactions we have had,
06:05 on the back of some of the rhetoric on the streets,
06:08 this election could go into a runoff
06:11 like the last few elections in Liberia
06:14 have actually witnessed.
06:16 And if it does, that would likely be a straight fight
06:20 between Joseph Mwakai's party and the party of George Weah.
06:25 The dynamics, it's maybe too close to call as of now,
06:30 but we'll get the latest on what exactly has been happening,
06:34 what culminated in the deaths of these two people
06:38 and what we can expect in the coming days.
06:41 Nanaia, can you hear me now?
06:42 So we'll try to work the connection, get Nanaia Ojima.
06:52 It's quite an attempt
06:55 as far as the technology is concerned today.
06:57 We're trying to patch his feed live so we can catch videos
07:00 or at least the sound, the ambience of that situation there.
07:04 But Liberia going to the polls for yet another time.
07:09 After Ellen Johnson's surleave,
07:11 there has been a lot of criticism
07:14 on the back of the style of George Weah.
07:17 Some of the antics of his son
07:19 have not exactly aided his cause,
07:22 but he has gone past all of that.
07:24 He's contesting a second term.
07:27 And the question is whether he will be able
07:29 to retain his seat as president.
07:31 Nanaia Ojima now connects with me from Liberia.
07:34 Nanaia, where exactly are you?
07:36 Are you still in the capital?
07:38 And what can you tell us about the latest happenings?
07:41 - First thing, yeah, I was in Moravia.
07:52 So far, the kids are getting along.
07:58 A number of people have come out from their homes.
08:01 to join the kids and get the opportunity to vote.
08:04 So the numbers here keep increasing.
08:08 Almost all the polling places that I've been to this morning
08:12 has huge numbers in these polling stations.
08:16 - Right, so today is the day.
08:19 And like you're saying,
08:20 people are pouring out onto the streets.
08:23 But yesterday we got the feeling that,
08:25 I mean, today's election is a big day.
08:28 Yesterday we got the feeling that,
08:30 I mean, today's election could lead to a runoff.
08:33 Is that still the rhetoric?
08:35 Hello, Nanaia, can you hear me?
08:45 All right, so at least some footage,
08:53 some images from Liberia as confirmed by Nanaia Ojima.
08:58 People are pouring out there to the polling stations.
09:02 People are running to the polling stations, so to speak,
09:05 all in a bid to express their feelings, their sentiments.
09:10 It's more of a verdict on the leadership of George Weah.
09:15 But where the pie will crumble is what we all await.
09:21 We're just hoping, like Major General Kutia expressed to me
09:26 in that earlier conversation,
09:28 that peace will prevail, that we'll not see any fighting,
09:33 and that in the end, the results will be free and fair.
09:36 The electoral process will be free and fair.
09:39 Of course, the ECOWAS team is on hand,
09:41 currently monitoring matters,
09:43 part of which my colleague, Nanaia Ojima, is a member of.
09:47 And if you know of the rhetoric,
09:49 if you know of the history, I should say,
09:51 as far as Liberia is concerned,
09:54 I personally was caught in that, together with my family,
09:57 that first civil war in 1989, leading all the way to 1997.
10:02 And after that, what followed?
10:06 Leading to some peace of some sort in Liberia.
10:10 Then there was the rule of Charles Taylor.
10:14 If you look at all of those in the mix,
10:16 from Samuel Doe to the Prince Johnsons, the Charles Taylors,
10:20 and where Liberia is now, it has come pretty far.
10:24 Ellen Johnson Sirleaf leading that country,
10:27 the Harvard graduate leading that country
10:29 for quite a number of years.
10:31 And the tale of the tape was that Joseph Wakai,
10:35 who had served under Samuel Doe,
10:36 who had been Veep for quite a long time, would take over.
10:40 George Opongwea, who had been a two-term senator,
10:43 took over from there, and he's never looked back.
10:47 The question we're asking is whether today,
10:49 the people of Liberia will retain George Wea,
10:54 or will cede to that coalition formed by Joseph Wakai.
10:59 We'll try one more time to see
11:01 whether we can reach Nanaiau Djema,
11:02 barring which we shall proceed from here.
11:06 And much later, if we can hear from him,
11:08 then maybe we'll pick his report on those matters.
11:11 Nanaiau, can you hear me now?
11:14 Is it possible to have a conversation?
11:16 All right, so we do not have Nanaiau,
11:20 but the latest are there,
11:22 20 candidates vying for that slot of president in Liberia.
11:27 Time will tell.
11:29 By the close of today leading into tomorrow,
11:31 we'll be able to tell where the cookie will fall
11:35 and who likely will be the next leader of that country.
11:40 Of course, whatever happens there also impacts our country.
11:44 Do stay with us up next.
11:46 A lot more, we still have conversations
11:48 with the Emmy Awards, and then Goyle,
11:50 as far as the National Science and Math Quiz are concerned.
11:53 We'll be right back.
11:54 (dramatic music)
11:58 (dramatic music)
12:01 - Hello there.
12:24 Thank you so much for staying here on the AM show.
12:26 I'm Bernice Abubidu-Lansi.
12:27 And as you saw very much earlier,
12:29 you saw my colleague, Benjamin Akaku,
12:32 talking about the Liberia elections being held today.
12:35 Apologies, we had a bit of a technical hitch,
12:38 but thankfully we've been able to restore our connection
12:40 to our man on the ground, Nanaiau Jima.
12:43 And he has been engaged in the head
12:45 of the ECOAS Observation Mission in Liberia,
12:48 Professor Atahiru Jega.
12:50 - So far, so good.
12:53 There is an impressive turnout.
12:57 The first polling unit we went to,
12:59 we observed the commencement,
13:02 and it appears that all is well.
13:06 We hope that from what we are seeing
13:13 in terms of the discipline of voters on the queue,
13:17 and also the diligence of the polling station officials,
13:26 it promises to be a good, transparent process.
13:30 And we will throughout the day go around other polling units
13:35 and we hope that what we see will be consistent
13:41 in all the other polling units.
13:44 Because what we have seen is impressive
13:47 and certainly will augur well if it is sustained.
13:55 - We know that ECOAS has over 120 observers
13:59 across the country.
14:01 Obviously, you should be picking some reports
14:04 from some of these people.
14:05 What are they saying?
14:07 - So far, the reports we have received
14:09 indicate that things are going on smoothly.
14:15 And obviously, that's what we all hope
14:20 in an election environment,
14:23 to have a good commencement, a peaceful commencement,
14:28 an orderly process,
14:31 and to have it sustained throughout the day.
14:35 So we look forward to going around other polling stations
14:39 throughout Monrovia.
14:42 And we will keep receiving reports
14:47 from our observers deployed all over the country.
14:53 And so far, so good.
14:55 And we hope that this is a very good omen.
14:59 - So before today, we had a conversation
15:04 and we spoke about some of the arrangement
15:05 done by NEC, security and everything.
15:09 All the arrangements, are things falling in place?
15:12 - From what we have seen so far,
15:13 they all seem to be falling in place
15:16 and it's quite impressive.
15:18 In particular, we need to commend the Liberian people
15:23 for coming out, evidently in large numbers,
15:26 to participate in these elections.
15:29 And as I said earlier on,
15:31 the orderliness on the queues, long queues,
15:34 is quite impressive.
15:36 We urge all others who have not yet come out
15:39 to ensure, if they are qualified,
15:42 that they use today's opportunity to come out and vote
15:46 and to do so very peacefully.
15:48 - All right, thank you.
15:48 So that was Professor Atahiru Jega,
15:51 and he is head of the ECOWAS Observer Mission
15:56 here in Liberia.
15:59 And this is the second voting presence he has visited.
16:02 And he has visited the polling stations
16:05 and observing things.
16:06 According to him, things are going on very well.
16:09 He's happy with what he has seen so far.
16:12 So far, according to reports that he's been receiving
16:15 from his men on the ground,
16:17 is that things are calm within these counties
16:21 and polling materials or election materials
16:25 have reached lots of these polling stations.
16:28 Let me talk to some of the people
16:30 who have been here this morning in the queues.
16:33 You see a lot of people.
16:34 This is just outside of the polling station.
16:39 There's people forming queues.
16:44 The queues go way just within these polling stations.
16:47 You have these people in there queuing,
16:49 and more of them queue here.
16:51 This is not the only polling station with these numbers.
16:55 Still early in the morning, few minutes after 8 a.m.,
16:59 and these are the numbers we are seeing.
17:01 Young man, thank you very much.
17:03 Why you are here early this morning?
17:06 Why is that so?
17:08 - Oh, I'm here to vote,
17:10 because I came early this morning to cast my vote.
17:13 Yeah, but then since the line is too much,
17:16 so I just decided to wait a little bit until it can reduce.
17:19 - So when exactly did you come in here?
17:22 When, at what time did you come in?
17:24 - Oh, I actually woke up at 6 a.m. this morning,
17:27 and then because the line was still long,
17:29 so I went home, and then I leave my phone back,
17:32 then I come back again by around, let's say, 8 o'clock.
17:35 So I'm still here until now, still waiting.
17:37 - All right, thank you very much.
17:39 So 8 a.m., did you also come here 6 a.m.?
17:42 - Yes.
17:43 - And you're still waiting?
17:45 - I'm still waiting.
17:46 - You don't know when exactly you vote.
17:48 Can you wait for that long?
17:49 - I will wait for the time.
17:50 - Okay, okay, anyway, you came here this early?
17:55 - Mm-hmm.
17:56 - Why this early?
17:58 - To vote.
17:58 - And you stay in the queue till it gets your turn?
18:01 - Yeah.
18:03 - So these are some of the people
18:04 who are in the queue here in Monrovia,
18:08 and we'll continue to observe things within Monrovia
18:13 and keep you updated on whatever happens here in Liberia,
18:19 Monrovia to be precise.
18:20 [MUSIC PLAYING]
18:23 you