By E. J. Nathaniel Daygbor in Monrovia
The National Elections Commission (NEC) says the printing of ballot papers for the ensuring October 10, 2017 Representatives and Presidential elections will cost at US$1.5 million.
Speaking during a news conference in Monrovia, August 9, at the national headquarters of NEC, Chairman Jerome George Korkoya said that the printing of the ballot papers would be done in Europe. He said the Commission has hired the services of a ech company to do the job.
Korkoya fails to give the total number of ballot papers that the tech company will print. He ducked reporters’ question when he was asked. The NEC Chair rather pivoted it and answered other questions without telling the Liberian people how many ballot papers the NEC will print for the under 2.2 million voters registered.
Chairman Korkoya said that the electoral house has already satisfied the Public Procurement Concession Commission requirement indicating that the commission has reached final conclusion with the company and the process of designing the ballot is in progress.
The NEC boss intimated that the printing cost of the ballot papers is expected to be transparent in a sense that political parties are encouraged to designate a member of their party to visit Europe for a glance at the ballot papers.
He quickly pointed out that the political parties will be responsible for the purchased of ticket and lodging of their representatives.
“We’re trying to make the printing of the ballot papers very transparent where every stakeholder can have a say in the process or can witness the entire exercise; so, we encouraged parties to send their representative to the printing house through our guidance. But political parties will be responsible for representatives travel expensive,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Chairman Korkoya also announced the case between Rep. Edwin Melvin Snowe and Senator Sando Johnson will be climaxed with the board of commissioners coming down with their verdict Thursday, August 10th at the headquarters of the Commission.
The NEC Hearing Office headed by Cllr. Muanah S. Ville on July 31st announced that Rep. Edwin Melvin Snowe could not establish domicile as required by Elections laws to contest in the ensuing elections for Sinje District #1 in Bomi County.
The decision followed Senator Sando Dazoe Johnson’s complaint on July 21st that Rep. Snowe was crossing over to another county, even though he was a sitting representative for Montserrado County District #6.
Commissioner Ville, in his ruling, said it was discovered that Rep. Edwin Melvin Snowe is the sitting representative of Montserrado District #6 and currently holds an unexpired certificate of the NEC dated back in 2011 and therefore could not be allowed to contest for another district.
With the ruling the current Montserrado County lawmaker took an appeal to the board of commissioners of the National Elections Commission to seek legal redress.
