Ahead of the 2023 Presidential and Legislative Elections in Liberia, six collaborating opposition political parties have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change that would lead a grand coalition.
The six collaborating political parties which include; United People’s Party (UPP), Liberia National Union (LINU), Union of Liberian Democrats (ULD), Change Democrats Action (CDA), Redemption Democratic Party (RDC) and Liberia Transformation Party (LTP) expressed happiness in the workings of the ruling coalition and vowed to endorse President George Weah’s re-election bid.
“The following Parties’ Chairpersons signed on behalf of their respective parties, viz. Mrs. Susannah Lorpu-Secton (UPP); J. Jerome Slojue, Chairman, (LINU); Prince Varney (ULD); Rev. Augustine Nimely, (CDA); Rev. Victor Sayddlee (RDC) and Patrick Saydee, (LTP) and was approved by Mulbah Morlu, (CDC).
Contained in the MOU was that the parties declared and agreed in working together through mutual respect and constructive engagement with a view to generating practical, sincere, permanent and sustainable solution to issues of national concern.
The objective of the MOU seeks for collaborating parties and ruling coalition to work together, foster a framework document for the purpose of maintaining a constant engagement and dialogue on national issues that may lead to the formation of a grand coalition and to work together on issues of national concern in pursuit of national unity, peace and stability and mutual respect.
The MOU assured to sustain constructive and consultative engagements on all national issues of concern, free of public or media rancor, and any such approach deemed violent; to work with the governing party in dealing with government’s challenges and to seek solution together, challenges and problems through shared discourse under the mediation of the governing Council with the CDC.
Making remarks after the signing process, CDC’s National Chairman, Mulbah Morlu expressed gratitude to the collaborating parties for coming up with an MOU that will undoubtedly establish a pathway which will allow the possibility for a formation of a grand coalition.
According to Morlu, the biggest beneficiaries of this process, will always be the Liberian people who deserve profound political undertakings free of violence, free of bloodletting and free of acrimony that has become characteristic of some political blocks in Liberia.
“The CDC is interested in making friends and reaching out to people; we are interested in peaceful coexistence with political parties and are also interested in using political intellectual discourses to persuade parties to join on our side, because we are not interested in breaking down other political institutions,” Morlu asserted.