Political parties petition court over election date

Two Liberian opposition parties have jointly petitioned the Supreme Court of Liberia seeking to postpone general and presidential elections scheduled for 14 October, due to on-going conflict in most of the country. The True Whig Party and the All Liberian Coalition Party (ALCOP) requested the Liberia's highest court to restrain the Elections Commission from conducting the polls. They cited a recent statement by the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan that 60 per cent of Liberia was under the control of rebel forces. "The current situation makes it impossible to carry out political activities," the TWP and ALCOP said in their petition. Court officials told IRIN on Friday that because of the grave constitutional implications of the petition, the Court would convene an extraordinary session in early June to deliberate on the matter. President Charles Taylor insists that Liberia's general and presidential elections will go ahead on 14 October. In May, Taylor told reporters that he is mandated under the Liberian constitution to conduct elections on schedule. But added: "Elections will only not go ahead if the government receive a restraining order from the supreme court" Liberia's Supreme Court in February dismissed another case filed by residents of three war-affected counties demanding a postponement of the general and presidential elections. The petitioners, who are internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the western Bomi, Grand Cape Mount and Lofa counties, told the court that a national census was necessary to verify eligible voters and for demarcation of electoral constituencies. They said that, given the current war situation in their counties, the IDPs could be deprived of the right to register in their constituencies and vote. But the court ruled that they "failed to articulate the grievances of petitioners and to seek relief through the necessary political and legal procedures to defer and postpone the 2003 elections". Several Liberians told IRIN that the major stakeholders who would be attending the proposed talks brokered by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Ghana next week, should include on the agenda provisions for putting off the elections. Liberia has been in the grip of civil war for over a decade. Fighting between rebels and government forces has intensified since 1998 in large parts of the country, displacing thousands of people.