EFFL, CSO Or Political Party?

-As It Plans To Contest In All 15 Counties 2020

By Esau J. Farr

As the political battlefield gets gloomy and muddy ahead of the 2020 Mid-term Senatorial Election across the 15 political divisions of Liberia, a pressure group, EFFL says it will compete for all senatorial seats Liberia next year (2020).

EFFL is the Economic Freedom Fighters of Liberia, one of the proclaimed Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) that have been involved with raging series of protests against the George Weah led administration in Liberia.

The EFFL is on record for forming part of the organization of the famous “Bring Back Our Money Campaign” and the fierce “June 7 Save the State” peaceful march.

But addressing a news conference Wednesday, August 21, 2019 in Monrovia, EFFL Commander-In-Chief, Emmanuel Gonquoi disclosed that the group will field candidates in all 15 counties of Liberia to contest for the vacant seats to be announced by the National Elections Commission (NEC) as per the Constitution of Liberia.

“Let me announce that the EFFL will place candidates in all the 15 political subdivisions of Liberia to contest for the vacant seats to be announced by the National Elections Commission of Liberia in accordance with the Liberian Constitution,” Mr. Gonquoi disclosed.

EFFL furthered that the intent to field candidates in the upcoming Mid-term Senatorial Elections is to ensure that the ruling CDC does not win any elective post because of the manner and form in which the first partisan of the CDC (George M. Weah is handling the state of affairs of the country.

“If you take your microphone to Margibi County right now four persons and not more, and interview at least three persons, two will tell you that Emmanuel Gonquoi is a formidable force for the 2020 Margibi Senatorial Mid-term Election,” he boasted.

With the open declaration of political participation in the upcoming Special Senatorial Elections across the country it is not known whether the EFFL is a Civil Society Organization of an ‘In-process’ political party.

The alignment of the EFFL with political parties in organizing series of protests against the CDC led government under soccer legend George M. Weah has come under sharp criticism from the ruling establishment branding it as a political party instead of a CSO to buttress the effort of government.

Some political commentators over the last one year has called on the EFFL to define its role either as a Civil Society Organization of a ‘Political Party’.

But with such disclosure, it has become any wise man’s guess that the EFFL is not far from being established and subsequently being registered as a full flesh political party like others have done in the past.

The EFFL is believed to be copied after the one in South Africa headed by Julius Malema a parliamentarian.

Already, more than dozens of current and former members of the House of Representatives have expressed their intents to contest the 2020 Senatorial Mid-term Elections in their respective counties. TNR