There is an uneasy calm within the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), especially amongst President George Weah’s supporters because of the discovery of a clause in the documents which established the coalition.
Cogent information obtained by Smart News Liberia says coalition partners of the ruling CDC party will be meeting in a special assembly in August to review the agreement that brought what used to be a ‘people-centered party’ to power.
Documents seen by Smart News Liberia could cause potential heartbreak for a lot of the President’s friends and cabinet.
A portion of the documents indicate that President Weah is not allowed a second term in 2023; meaning the CDC-the Congress for Democratic Change is not allowed to put forward a candidate for president in the 2023 presidential elections.
The Coalition for Democrat Change comprises three parties-Congresses for Democratic Change of George Weah, the National Patriotic Party of Jewel Howard-Taylor, and the People Democratic Party of Liberia of Alex Tyler.
Because CDC-Congress is the biggest party in the coalition, the formation documents allowed it to put forward George Weah as the first President under the agreement.
The documents state that at the end of the first term of Weah, the second biggest party in the coalition, National Patriotic Party will nominate the presidential candidate; possibly, Vice President Howard-Taylor for the 2023 presidential elections.
In case the NPP’s candidate for president wins in 2023, the agreement says it will be the term of the PDPL to put forth a candidate in 2019.
An official of the CDC has confirmed the agreement but stated that whatever happened for the 2023 process, there will have to be primaries to determine who replaces Weah on the ticket. The source who preferred not to be named did not elaborate.
However, Smart News Liberia has learned that this latest revelation has already sparked tension in the ruling coalition; especially amongst the Weah supporters who it’s alleged are doing everything to undermine the documents.
This may possibly spell doom for the ruling party as the NPP is not ready to compromise the documents, according to a source that’s knowledgeable of the documents.
At the time the opposition CPP is swimming in crisis, analysts say the August review of the coalition documents could mark the beginning of turbulent times in the ruling party.
