In view of threats by the main opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) to stage a protest on the day of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s inauguration for a second terms in office, her government has slapped a ban on all street demonstrations for one week, effective Friday.
CDC members had insisted that they would manifest their anger at the handling of the poll whose outcome its presidential candidate Winston Tubman still contests as unconstitutional.
The government on Friday issued a statement announcing the ban on demonstrations for a week to prevent unruly behavior during the inauguration.
The CDC had threatened to come out on the streets to protest over what they called the fraudulent nature of the poll.
Two months after she was returned to office by the popular vote, President Sirleaf is set for a $1.2 million inauguration ceremony on January 18 in the presence of at least thirty heads of state from across Africa and the world.
The CDC had boycotted the November 8 presidential runoff poll on the grounds that the results were flawed in favours of the ruling Unity Party of President Sirleaf, insisting that it does not accept her as the winner of the poll which was certified as fair by international observers who had witnessed the elections.
The first round had ended in a deadlock with Sirleaf, CDC presidential candidate Winston Tubman and six other candidates had failed to poll the mandatory 50 percent plus one vote required to avoid a run-off.
In the run off in November Sirleaf had polled 513,320 votes or 90.2 percent out of 565,391 tallied votes while 52,071 ballots, or 9.2 percent had been cast for Tubman.
At least one person was killed on the eve of the election as the police tried to quell a demonstration by CDC supporters in Monrovia.
The more than 4,000 local and international observers who monitored the 2011 elections had concluded that it was "largely free, fair and transparent".
The Liberian constitution requires that would-be demonstrators obtain a permit from the country’s national police 24 hours before they embark on their action.
Source African Press Agency
African News from NetNewsPublisher.com
