By Nyantee Togba-nyanteetogba@gmail.com
Monrovia: The National Elections Commission says it will need the remaining one million United States Dollars from the Liberian Government before it can conduct the by elections in Montserrado County on July 29, 2019.
The NEC said the government is still indebted to it after she initially made available the first 1.5 million United States out of the 2.5 million needed to conduct the by elections.
Addressing reporters at NEC headquarters in Sinkor Monday, the Chair person for the two by-elections steering committee in Montserrado County Commissioner Jonathan Weedor said the remaining 1 million United States Dollars owed by national government is needed to pay over ten thousand poll workers contracted including the settling of logistics on the day of the polls.
He mentioned that the funding must be available before the materials are dispatched onto the field.
“For the elections, we have logistical needs like vehicles, they will be used to deploy and retrieve materials from the field and all of that is included in the US$1 million that we are talking about,” Commissioner Weedor stressed.
He said about 10 thousand poll workers who would be deployed in the field are also be expected to be paid from the US$1 million remaining.
Meanwhile, the NEC has adjusted it polling procedure on the identification of voters to allow “a more open and transparent process of voter identification.”
At the same, the National Elections Commission Chairman Jerome Kokoyah has announced that campaign activities for the by-elections among contesting candidates will come to a close on this Saturday.
Chairman Kokoyah added that Liberians who registered in Montserrado County and found on the voter roll update will only be allowed to vote.
