Rivalry Over Presidential Candidacy Begin Ahead of 2011
The political merger amongst key opposition parties has started to face a predicament with the introduction of a simmering rivalry on who should ride on the ticket for president in the ensuing 2011 presidential contest, as Weah has started saying popularity is strength in determination of that lead candidate while Winston Tubman of the Liberia National Union (LINU) is contending that Weah needs to be nurtured for another term and not 2011; writes Bill K . Jarkloh
Inevitably, the fact a putting up an opposition alliance could inject a huge amount of fear in the incumbent Unity Party’s presidential candidate and could mean a defeat of the ruling party patterned after the just ended Montserrado County Senatorial by-election in which the unique merger of the opposition gained a narrow victory for the Congress for Democratic Change’s Geraldine Doe-Sheriff against her incumbent party opponent, Clemenceau Blayon Urey of the Unity Party at the polls.
But with his doubt on the minds of many regarding who goes first or second in a possible political merger between Weah’s CDC, Tubman’s LINU and Charles Brumskine’s Liberty Party, Weah, the most popular but inexperienced of the three has let the cat out of the bag and bluntly declared that the party with the most popularity will produce the presidential candidate in any case of a merger of opposition political parties.
Already, Cllr. Tubman of LINU is on record saying it would be a good political decision for Weah to become a vice presidential candidate to him where Weah will have an opportunity to be nurtured over six years and later ascend to the presidency, ushering a young President, with experience acquired over six years period.
Cllr. Tubman said he has held several discussions with his counterpart-Weah from the CDC and the issue of who heads a ticket after political merger is no obstacle. He noted that the dream by Cllr. Tubman led to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the CDC and LINU in Accra, Ghana early this year where the two parties agreed to form a common front come 2011 general and presidential elections.
The debate has been ongoing with talks that Weah is a very ambitious person and may not accept to run as vice presidential candidate to Tubman, Brumskine or whosoever come 2011 with other views expressed that Weah could give in to these big names and be afforded the opportunity to gain experience.
But his position is a contradiction of Weah’s stance on the merger as he alluded to popularity as a criterion for the presidential bid in the opposition camp.
“The possibility exists for everybody to be vice president or president. But as I said, we have not reached that point yet. We are discussing which is first and which is second. When we reach to that point, my party knows what it wants,” Weah told a local media outlet.
The Liberian football legend who is struggling to make politics a second and permanent career declared however that his CDC has the number. “But if we have the numbers, then definitely we must go first. If your party doesn’t have the strength, it just has to join. But like I said, we haven’t reached that point. But everyone is ambitious. Once you are in a democracy and leading a political party and have a particular goal, you have to be ambitious”, Weah stated.
With Weah’s CDC undoubtedly the most popular opposition political party in Liberia and judging from his statement, there is clear hint that Weah may not accept to be a vice presidential running mate to Tubman from the LINU or Brumskine from the Liberty Party, the two other strong but relatively less parties as compared to the CDC.
Invariably, however, if Weah’s statement of popularity being strength for the first partisan in the case of opposition party should mean the basis for the merger, it translates that the political [parties of Tubman and Brumskine are to work overtime recruiting members that will override the strength of the CDC if any of the two should subordinate Weah to a running make in deriving the presidential candidacy of the opposition alliance to stand against the incumbent Unity Party in the race for the Executive mansion 2011.
The CDC’s standard bearer in the 2005 presidential election however acknowledged talk of political marriage between opposition political parties and pledged his CDC’s support to the ongoing discussions, describing it as the best way for peaceful political transition from the UP led government to a new regime.
“We are grateful that during the second round, almost all of the parties came to us. That marriage shows CDC will work with the other opposition parties. Of course in 2005 people felt that they went to the other side. But coming to us during the by-election shows that they are willing to work with us. We’ll do all of our best to collaborate’, Weah noted. He described the talks of political marriage as a good beginning and disclosed that the talk is taking into consideration the interest of all of the parties involved.
Conjecturing that they have not reach the point of rivalry over who should be the opposition merger’s first partisan and the running mate, Weah said, “… The fact that all of the political parties are coming to us, we just have to embrace them. This is important. We have to discuss everybody’s interest. Everybody has a stake in it. But again, we are open to every discussion because one political party in this country can’t win elections. We must win. We are a young and new party and need the support of everyone. Now, we have the support of almost everybody.”
Inevitably, the fact a putting up an opposition alliance could inject a huge amount of fear in the incumbent Unity Party’s presidential candidate and could mean a defeat of the ruling party patterned after the just ended Montserrado County Senatorial by-election in which the unique merger of the opposition gained a narrow victory for the Congress for Democratic Change’s Geraldine Doe-Sheriff against her incumbent party opponent, Clemenceau Blayon Urey of the Unity Party at the polls.
But with his doubt on the minds of many regarding who goes first or second in a possible political merger between Weah’s CDC, Tubman’s LINU and Charles Brumskine’s Liberty Party, Weah, the most popular but inexperienced of the three has let the cat out of the bag and bluntly declared that the party with the most popularity will produce the presidential candidate in any case of a merger of opposition political parties.
Already, Cllr. Tubman of LINU is on record saying it would be a good political decision for Weah to become a vice presidential candidate to him where Weah will have an opportunity to be nurtured over six years and later ascend to the presidency, ushering a young President, with experience acquired over six years period.
Cllr. Tubman said he has held several discussions with his counterpart-Weah from the CDC and the issue of who heads a ticket after political merger is no obstacle. He noted that the dream by Cllr. Tubman led to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the CDC and LINU in Accra, Ghana early this year where the two parties agreed to form a common front come 2011 general and presidential elections.
The debate has been ongoing with talks that Weah is a very ambitious person and may not accept to run as vice presidential candidate to Tubman, Brumskine or whosoever come 2011 with other views expressed that Weah could give in to these big names and be afforded the opportunity to gain experience.
But his position is a contradiction of Weah’s stance on the merger as he alluded to popularity as a criterion for the presidential bid in the opposition camp.
“The possibility exists for everybody to be vice president or president. But as I said, we have not reached that point yet. We are discussing which is first and which is second. When we reach to that point, my party knows what it wants,” Weah told a local media outlet.
The Liberian football legend who is struggling to make politics a second and permanent career declared however that his CDC has the number. “But if we have the numbers, then definitely we must go first. If your party doesn’t have the strength, it just has to join. But like I said, we haven’t reached that point. But everyone is ambitious. Once you are in a democracy and leading a political party and have a particular goal, you have to be ambitious”, Weah stated.
With Weah’s CDC undoubtedly the most popular opposition political party in Liberia and judging from his statement, there is clear hint that Weah may not accept to be a vice presidential running mate to Tubman from the LINU or Brumskine from the Liberty Party, the two other strong but relatively less parties as compared to the CDC.
Invariably, however, if Weah’s statement of popularity being strength for the first partisan in the case of opposition party should mean the basis for the merger, it translates that the political [parties of Tubman and Brumskine are to work overtime recruiting members that will override the strength of the CDC if any of the two should subordinate Weah to a running make in deriving the presidential candidacy of the opposition alliance to stand against the incumbent Unity Party in the race for the Executive mansion 2011.
The CDC’s standard bearer in the 2005 presidential election however acknowledged talk of political marriage between opposition political parties and pledged his CDC’s support to the ongoing discussions, describing it as the best way for peaceful political transition from the UP led government to a new regime.
“We are grateful that during the second round, almost all of the parties came to us. That marriage shows CDC will work with the other opposition parties. Of course in 2005 people felt that they went to the other side. But coming to us during the by-election shows that they are willing to work with us. We’ll do all of our best to collaborate’, Weah noted. He described the talks of political marriage as a good beginning and disclosed that the talk is taking into consideration the interest of all of the parties involved.
Conjecturing that they have not reach the point of rivalry over who should be the opposition merger’s first partisan and the running mate, Weah said, “… The fact that all of the political parties are coming to us, we just have to embrace them. This is important. We have to discuss everybody’s interest. Everybody has a stake in it. But again, we are open to every discussion because one political party in this country can’t win elections. We must win. We are a young and new party and need the support of everyone. Now, we have the support of almost everybody.”
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