— As U.S. Embassy calls out ruling party officials for “undermining democracy”
The United States Embassy near Monrovia is considering the option of imposing sanctions on more top officials from Liberia’s ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC). This comes after CDC Chairman Mulbah Morlu and Secretary General Jefferson Koijee accused Cllr. Oscar Bloh, Chairperson of the Election Coordinating Committee (ECC), of supporting the opposition Unity Party.
During a press conference, Koijee presented a video which, he claims, shows Bloh and Gbarpolu County Senator-elect Amara Konneh strategizing on behalf of the Unity Party for the upcoming runoff election. Koijee claimed that Bloh, who is supposed to be a neutral figure as a civil society practitioner, was coordinating the Unity Party’s election efforts.
However, Koijee did not provide any evidence to support his claim that Bloh is affiliated with the Unity Party.
“We have written to the international community, the US embassy, and particularly to USAID about an individual who is masquerading as a civil society practitioner,” Koijee said.
“He is a card-carrying partisan of the Unity Party and has received money from the U.S. government, deceiving them under the guise of a civil society practitioner. Oscar Bloh, who is supposed to be neutral, is in the Unity Party war room, coordinating the Unity Party election. What is he doing in the Unity Party war room?”
Additionally, CDC Chairman Morlu wrote to the US Embassy and USAID, calling for ECC’s assistance to be canceled based on the alleged connection between Bloh and the Unity Party.
“The National Executive Committee of the Coalition for Democratic CDC writes to formally inform you of the compromised actions of Mr. Oscar Bloh, the Executive Director of the Elections Coordinating Committee (ECC), who was caught in partisan activities of the Unity Party in pursuit of the election of Joseph N. Boakai,” the letter reads. “By his partisan actions, which include the abuse of access to privileged information pertinent to the transparent conduct of the 2023 general and presidential elections, Mr. Bloh has extremely compromised the neutrality of the ECC.”
Contrary to these allegations, the ECC, a coalition of pro-democracy civil society organizations, issued a statement clarifying that the video was fake and that the person depicted was not Oscar Bloh. Local Voices, a fact-checking organization supported by the US Embassy, also confirmed that the individual in the video was not Bloh.
In a statement released on Friday, November 10, the US Embassy expressed concern over the spread of misinformation and disinformation by Koijee and Morlu, viewing it as an attempt to impede election observation efforts and undermine democracy in Liberia.
“The United States is committed to supporting and advancing democracy in Liberia and around the world. As announced by Secretary of State Antony Blinken on September 27, 2023, the United States may pursue visa restrictions for those believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining democracy in Liberia, including through the purposeful spread of mis- or disinformation.”
The Embassy said as a result of the false accusation against the ECC boss, it is exploring sanctioning those involved. “As a result of this incident, we are actively exploring using this visa restriction authority because we view this as an example of impeding election observation efforts needed to ensure transparency,” the statement said.
The Embassy emphasized its commitment to supporting and advancing democracy and stated that it may consider visa restrictions for those believed to be responsible for undermining democracy through the purposeful spread of misinformation.
The Embassy affirmed its support for the ECC and its confidence in the group’s ability to report fairly and accurately on the upcoming presidential runoff. It also reassured its commitment to funding the ECC and promoting a free, fair, and peaceful electoral process in Liberia.
The US Embassy urged all Liberians to carefully verify their sources of information and encouraged them to exercise their voice and right to vote in the upcoming elections.
Source: Liberian Observer
