The Vulnerability of the Liberian Presidency in 2023

Jones Mallay 

The agility of incumbent President George Manneh Weah to fortify his grip on power in a bid to secure his second term in the 2023 presidential elections is evitable.

The incumbent Pres. Weah’s constitutional maneuvering calculation has overwhelmingly set the stage for enormous dilemmas and dramas for two determined fearless opposition icons, ANC’s Cummings and UP’s Boakai. Both vowed to unseat the incumbent President. Why is it that they all want to be president at a cost in 2023 at once? 

But incumbent Weah is not taking the iconic opposition utterances for granted, nor is he willing to dismiss or overlook their power-thirsty platforms. In return, the incumbent Weah, whose eyes are also red, has vowed to all his relatives to secure his second coming as President in 2023 at all costs.

Both the incumbent Pres. Weah and the two angry opposition leaders have decided to defy the principle of democracy and are fully closing in on implementing an autocratic elections mechanism in 2023. The three iconic leaders utilize one familiar phrase: “Vowed to unseat incumbent Pres Weah at all Costs.” 

“At all costs” or “any cost” are virtually two powerful “idioms” found in the utterances of incumbent Pres. Weah and the two opposition leaders. It could be that either the incumbent, Weah, or the two opposition leaders are preparing to participate in the 2023 presidential election, but neither is prepared to endure defeat. He will therefore classify the election results as invalid. It also means no matter what direction the polls go, the three leaders must become President at all costs. 

Could this be an unprecedented volcano or political time bomb waiting to explode in 2023? Just imagine a political scenario in which the incumbent declared himself President, Cumming also declared himself President, and Boakai also declared himself President. Does this mean Liberians will have one nation governed by three Presidents? These actions could give rise to political war in Liberia. 

Cummings, Boakai, and incumbent Pres. Weah has proven beyond doubt that they are products of democracy, fair play, electoral transparency, and accountability. Why shouldn't each accept defeat if it occurs in the pending presidential elections in 2023? Is that accepting the will of the people? 

Critically, what is on the horizon that has propelled the incumbent Pres. Weah, Cummings, and Boakai vow to be Liberia's next President at all costs in 2023. There must be some conspicuousness associated with the Liberian Presidency that may have provoked the vows made by the incumbent Pres. Weah, ANC’s Cummings, and UP’a Boakai. 

The Liberian Presidency has a gross reputation for systemic corruption, abuse of power, and preserving a lifetime presidency. But Cummings and Boakai may have other arguments to support their quest to unseat incumbent Pres. Weah at all costs. “Incumbent Pres. Weah has failed miserably, he has made Liberians submerge in extreme hardship and poverty, coupled with uncontrollable corruption on the rise and many more societal odds,” for which they believe that incumbent Pres. Weah should and must take his exit in 2023 even if Liberians did favor the incumbent Pres. Weah's ballots in the affirmative in 2023? 

But the incumbent firmly believes in his political philosophy acronym: “M-PLM”, meaning: “My People Love Me”, but aren’t they the same people who love Cummings and Boakai? Morally corrupt African Presidents consider their first presidential term as an introduction to the Presidency and their second presidential run as their actual Presidency. 

Understandingly, in Liberia, the title H.E. Mr. President, Head-Of-State, and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces are not only symbolic in Liberia. It is a big deal in Liberia. It is the number-one lucrative job in Liberia. The Presidency has become a full-time job in which the President can invade the nation's coffers and enrich himself at the expense of hard-earned taxpayer dollars with no impunity. 

A Liberian President can fire and hire as he likes. He has unchecked and unlimited power to do whatsoever he wants. The President can choose to leave his people and abandon his responsibilities for months in place of a lavish holistic social program as he sees fit. The President is not practically answerable to anyone but himself. Interestingly, the so-called Liberian constitution is a piece of garbage in the eyes of a Liberian President. Are these reasons why the chase is on for the Presidency in 2023 “at all costs”?