ECOWAS Parliament Calls For Proactive Role of Political Parties in Judiciary During Elections
Osman Koroma The Economic Community of African States (ECOWAS) Parliament demand that Political Parties play a proactive role in the use of the judiciary before, during, and after elections.
The aforementioned recommendation was made by former Liberian Minister of Justice, Councilor Benedict F. Sannoh during his presentation at the ECOWAS de-localized meeting in Monrovia, on the role of the judiciary in the management of electoral crisis at the Liberian Ministerial complex on the 27th of July, 2023.
In his presentation, Councilor Sannolh urged political parties to collaborate in raising issues that require judicial determination: He also recommended the monitoring of every statutory, regulatory, and administrative action taken by the elections commission, the legislature, or institutions within the Executive Branch of the Government leading to the conduct
of elections with the view to engage in süstained advocacy. He added that if advocacy fails to achieve the desired results, recourse to Court can be taken with the view to determining the extent to which the challenged action is consistent with the Constitution and the elections Laws. He said that Supreme Court Opinions on Elections should be widely published to enhance the preventive value of the opinions in furtherance of avoiding electoral disputes. He also recommended that an independent quasi-administrative judicial body be established to conduct investigations of electoral disputes involving the conduct of the National Elections Commission immediately prior to, during, and after including the counting of
votes and announcement of results came to therefore.
He referenced Liberian law and practice where the Supreme Court exercises appellate jurisdiction over all disputes arising during the course of these processes Irom the Board of Commissioners of the National Electoral Commission (NEC).
“Election laws set time frames for the adjudication of electoral disputes by the Supreme Court, and the Court has operated within these time frames,” he said.
Sannoh mentioned areas of concern which he said remain the call for the establishment of an independent quasi-administrative judicial body to conduct investigations of electoral disputes involving the conduct of the National Elections Commission instead of Hearing Officers who themselves are employees of the Elections Commission.
He said the cases normally coming to the Supreme Court have invariably been issues of allegations of fraud and irregularities in the conduct of the elections and allegations of violations of the Constitution, election Laws and the
Rules and Regulations governing the conduct of elections. He further said that the Supreme Court should be keen on the question of adherence to fundamental rights articulated in the Constitution, especially on the question of no one being deprived of liberty, proper, privilege, or any other right.
A very good democratic strategies,if these are adhesive it will lead to pure democracy and rule of law in Liberia
In the case of Sierra Leone, everything state institutions do is in favour of the PAOPA killer President ( Maada Bio).
In Sierra Leone for example, the judiciary is headed by a PAOPA rebel officer appointed by Maada Bio.
The head of the PAOPA rebel killer police is an appointee of the PAOPA killer President Maada Bio.
The head of the PAOPA killer military force is also an appointee of the PAOPA killer President Maada Bio.
The head of the PAOPA media organization is appointed by Maada Bio.
The head of the PAOPA inter- religious council is himself a PAOPA diehard SLPP party member.
Of course, most of you at ECOWAS know that Maada Bio is a killer president, a thief, a violator of the Sierra Leone constitution, a human rights violator, a dictator and destroyer of democracy BUT because he bribes /pays all of you to keep quiet, nobody is prepared to take action to restore democracy in Sierra Leone. Indeed, all of you are aware of the hedious atrocities committed by the Rebel Maada Bio to this county. The people of Sierra Leone have spoken loudly, by voting against him, but Maada Bio does not care about that, has stolen our democratic rights. Maada Bio was a REBEL that committed a lot of atrocities in this country since 1992 when he was the Director of Execution during the AFRC junter regime.
If we demonstrate against him, he will order his PAOPA killer police and his PAOPA rebel army officer to shoot at and kill all the demonstrators. Maada Bio has done that several times in this country. What else can we do?
Those recommendations are working in a country whose institutions have not been captured by the ruling establishment as the case in Sierra Leone… the so-called judiciary is highly influence by Bio and cohorts.