Liberia: Elections Commission Chairman Denies Links With Sirleaf

24 March 2011

Amidst mounting criticisms both within opposition quarters and the public in general that NEC’s Chairman James Fromoyan is heavily linked to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and his political interest is already tied to the ruling Unity Party, Mr. Fromoyan yesterday broke silence and clarified that he has no connections with the chief Executive as claimed by some opposition politicians in the country.

At a news conference on Tuesday, March 23rd, 2011, Mr. Fromoyan denied being a member of the ruling Unity Party and that he has no such link with the president.

It can be recalled that opposition political parties including the Liberty Party and the Congress for Democratic Change have, in recent months, called for the resignation of chairman Fromoyan as head of the National Elections Commission so as to ensure fairness, trust, and lend credibility to the ensuing 2011 electoral processes, but that Mr. Fromoyan has since denied doing anything wrong and as such rubbished the opposition’s claims.

Also, in the 2005 general and presidential elections, Mr. Fromoyan is remembered for engaging CDC’s standard bearer George Weah into a word-of word, something, from the CDC point of view, hung dark clowd over Fromoyan’s neutrality. During the 2005 general elections, Mr. Fromoyan is on record as calling Ambassador Weah an irresponsible young man when he, Chairman Fromloyan, served as Co-chair to Cllr. Francis Johnson Morris who chaired the commission at the time, something that led to harsh verbal exchanges and raised tension between Mr. Fromoyan and Ambassador Weah.

Recently, the opposition Liberty Party National Chairman Israel Akinsanya also accused Mr. Fromoyan of wanting to cheat for Madam Sirleaf in the upcoming 2011 general and presidential elections and called on him to honorably resign his post as NEC boss, a claim Mr. Fromoyan still rejects and refused to adhere to the LP’s demand.

Since then, Mr. Fromoyan has been engulfed with claims and counter claims regarding his neutrality in the 2011 electoral process, something political observers say might have led to Fromoyan’s latest reaction.

Addressing reporters at a news conference on March 23, 2011, Mr. Fomayan challenged  his accusers  to provide evidence  and prove  beyond all reasonable doubt that  he  is a member of the ruling Unity Party  through a  court of competent jurisdiction.

“ Those who  are  calling for my  resignation as NEC Chairman must know that I am not working for the ruling party nor President Sirleaf but instead  I am working for the Liberian  people and  the government of Liberia”, Mr. Fromoyan said, refuting  arguments propounded  by his critics.

“I want for people to understand that I didn’t just get the job as NEC Chairman on a civil platter but I went through the legal process of confirmation hearing at the Liberian Senate which qualifies me for the position.”

He said Commissioners at the NEC were united and remained committed to organizing free, fair and transparent elections in Liberia, come 2011 general presidential elections.

Chairman Fromoyan said members of the Board of Commissioners of the NEC have what he called explicit confidence in his leadership ability, and squashed out  suspicion raised by the opposition community  as a falsehood,  and  accused opposition  politicians  who are  calling for  his  removal as  NEC Chairman  of doing  so with no  legitimate basis.

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