Kokoyah: No Place for Partisanship at NEC

Though his nomination by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as the new chair of the National Elections Commission (NEC) sparked opposition protest, Jerome Kokoya, has promised to prioritize confidence-building at NEC during his reign.

Taking over as the new NEC chair, Kokoyah has sternly warned employees against partisanship at the institution, stressing that doing so would be a total violation of the electoral law of the country. Using himself as a test case for his staff, Kokoyah noted that he has never gained political favor from any individual or institution or being a politician during the entire period of professional life.

Opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) had campaigned for the withdrawal of Kokoyah’ s nomination because the move by the President “was an insult to democracy” since in fact, Kokoyah is a member of the ruling Unity Party, the party claimed.

CDC national chairman George Solo has also said his party will not participate in the May 7 by-election in Grand Bassa County if Sirleaf does not rescind the nomination of Kokoya.

CDC’s position on the matter was buttressed by the Elections Coordinating Committee (ECC), a local election monitoring group. The ECC wasted no time in condemning and calling for the annulment of Kokoyah’s appointment. One thing was common between both groups: they doubted Kokoyah’s neutrality because he had been affiliating with the ruling Unity Party.

Kokoyha once contested for a legislative seat on the ruling party’s ticket. Though he has vowed not to allow his role as election commission chairman be affected by his past political association with the ruling party,  Chairman Kokoyah remains keen on ensuring that his work at the NEC remains credible, transparent and impartial.

In a statement issued in Monrovia yesterday, Kokoyah said building public confidence in the electoral management body remains a top priority for him.

He challenged the newly reconstituted NEC board of commissioners to work towards ensuring the conduct of free, fair, transparent and credible democratic elections in the country.

The new NEC chairman and four other commissioners officially took office Tuesday after being commissioned by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on Monday.

They were nominated by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on March 20, 2013 in keeping with Chapter 2, Section 2.2, of the New Elections Law of 1986, and as amended in 2003 and 2004.