ANC Standard Bearer Vows to Accept 2017 Presidential Election Result Without Reservation
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-The Standard Bearer of the Alternative National Congress (ANC), Alexander Cummings, says he will accept the outcome of the October 2017 Presidential and Legislative elections in Liberia even if he loses, because he believes in the rule of law.
Elections will be held in Liberia this year on October 10th, bringing to an end President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf's second term. Mrs. Sirleaf won her second term in 2011. She was first elected in 2005 as Liberia and Africa’s first female president.
Mr. Cummings said he believes and respects the ongoing electoral process in Liberia. He said he is excited to be part of the democratic process that would lead to the election of the country's next president. The ANC Standard Bearer, who is visiting the United States, made the statement on Saturday, May 20, 2017 at the Victory Harvest Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, when a three-man delegation of the Association of Liberian Journalists in the Americas (ALJA) headed by National President, Moses Sandy, paid a courtesy call to acquaint the ANC's leadership on the Association's mission.
According to an ALJA press release issued on Monday, May 22, 2017, the ANC leader said his party respects the rule of law including the Code of Conduct and the election laws of the country. On whether his party was in violation of the Code because of his Vice Presidential running mate Jeremiah Sulunteh, who should have resigned two years prior to the election date as Liberia's Ambassador to the United States, Mr. Cummings explained, there is no way Ambassador Sulunteh could have resigned his post because he did not know that he would have been named the Vice Standard Bearer of the ANC.
He maintained the ANC's lawyers reviewed the Code of Conduct and found the party not to be in violation. He said for any code to become effective, it should have a “transitional period” and thinks the Code of Conduct did not meet that requirement. On his party's quest for the presidency, Mr. Cummings said the ANC has a plan to transform Liberia from its 19th century look into the 21th century; adding, the country's underdevelopment is more apparent in rural Liberia.
Commenting on the media in Liberia, Mr. Cummings said the fortunate thing happening now is that the country has a free press with “the people saying anything they want to say,” and said he welcomed the idea of ALJA being a neutral body that would help ensures checks and balances in the governing process of the country.
Earlier, ALJA National President Sandy briefed Mr. Cummings and Ambassador Sulunteh on ALJA's mission as an advocacy group dedicated to promoting press freedom, media development, and good governance in Liberia. He said the Association has no party affiliation, but would work with any of the parties that succeed in winning the election.
Other members of the ALJA delegation included Gardea Varney Woodson, National Secretary General, and Mr. Jackson Seton, President of the Delaware Valley (Del-Va) Chapter. The Chapter brings together US based Liberian Journalists residing in the states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.
ALJA is a non-profit media advocacy group based in the Americas. The organization was founded in 1998 in Washington, D.C. The Association is a conglomeration of current and retired Liberian journalists residing in the Americas.
Signed by:
Gardea Varney Woodson
National Secretary General
610-212-1935
Approved:
Moses D. Sandy
National President
302-494-4688