Liberia Roundup: Presidential run-off, FGM battle, patients protest
Polls close in Liberia
Presidential run-off polls in which the fates of incumbent president George Weah and his opponent Joseph Boakai are to be decided have closed in Liberia. In a close contest in October, the first round of polls ended with President Weah leading with 43.83% while Boakai pooled 43.44%. Both aspirants failed to reach the 50% mark, Sierra Leone Times reported. The two and their supporters remain optimistic about their chance of getting the nod from the electorates in the just-ended polls. “I’m happy; the place is calm and everybody voting and there is no tension, that’s the true nature of democracy and want to urge every Liberian to exercise their constitution in this way, as the best for our country,” the New Dawn quoted President Weah.
Patients block hospital road
Patients who had visited the government hospital in Gunta in the Nimba county in Liberia ended up protesting the failure of health professionals to give them any attention and treatment. Aggrieved patients though suffering from various ailments erected roadblocks on the Ganta-Sanninquellie route to prevent health professionals from moving out, the New Dawn reported. “We left our respective homes and have gone to receive treatment at the hospital but were unable to receive treatment on grounds that they have been providing free services to patients for over ten years without being placed on government payroll; based on that, we were unable to received treatment since day”, spokesperson of the patients, James Wonnie told the New Dawn
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FGM Milestone
The fight against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in northern Liberia has reached a major milestone and has been marked with a celebration as traditional practitioners have abandoned the practice. This marks an end to the long battle in the region. In a flamboyant ceremony at the Gbanquoi Vocational and Heritage Centre, former traditional practitioners handed over their tools to the chairperson of the National Council of Chiefs and Elders of Liberia, Zanzan Karwor, the New Dawn reported. The Embassy of Sweden, UN Women, and UNDP were part of the stakeholders present at the ceremony.
Low voter turnout
Liberia’s presidential run-off elections recorded low voter turnout throughout the entire voting process, on November 14. The voter behaviour has been attributed to amongst others, various candidates bearing the cost of transporting electorates to voting centres and general discontent with the Weah administration, the Front Page Africa Online reported. However, amidst the seemingly calm atmosphere of the process, pockets of violence were recorded in some areas which resulted in the death of two people, The Sierra Leone Times has reported.
Liberia’s central bank maintains monetary policy rate
The Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) has maintained the monetary policy rate at 20% for the sole reason of preventing further buildup of inflationary pressure on the economy in the coming years. The Board of Directors of the CBL further resolved to reserve requirement ratios of 25% for Liberian dollars (L$) and 10% for United States (US) dollars, the Front Page Africa Online reported. The report further indicated that the Liberian economy amidst global uncertainty characterized by the Russia-Ukraine war, and climate change, showed resilience and a mixed growth trend, during the period in review.
