Vice President Boakai (L) and Senator George Manneh Weah

My take is that the Supreme Court of Liberia may have to ask the NEC: why did it refuse to turn over public records from the October 10 elections in its (NEC) possession to justify how it (NEC) apportioned votes for the candidates?

The Court may not even rule on rerun or runoff election. The Court most likely will order the NEC to turn over ALL records from the October 10 elections asked for by LP/UP.

Legal scholars refer to the LP/UP appeal to the Supreme Court as either a "Mandamus"--a judicial writ/remedy issued in the form of an order/command against an inferior court; the NEC. Or still, a "Certiorari"--a writ or order by which a superior court reviews a decision by a lower court or tribunal...in this case, the NEC decision not to turn over records from the October 10 elections.

Now, if the Supreme Court agrees with the NEC that it was right not to turn over records from the October 10 elections, then the Court will ask or give LP/UP time to submit to the Court their own evidence to support their claims of fraud and vote-rigging by the NEC. 

Timing is everything for Ellen and those crying about having this mess sorted out for the transfer of power on January 18, 2018. The Constitution trumps everything and this constitutional process will prevail as the chain of succession will take over: President--Vice President--House Speaker--Senate Pro Temp and so forth. There will NOT be any Interim Government for crying out loud.

This is not your everyday "criminal case" of the burden of proof rests with the complainant. NEC is supposed to be a "neutral referee" in the elections, but it is not. Thus, the Supreme Court of Liberia must and should force the NEC to turn over ALL the public records from the October 10 elections. It is such evidence (the records) that will determine the basis for a rerun or runoff by the Court.

After NEC turns over such records, if LP/UP are proven right, then it is back to the Court to say whether there must be rerun or runoff elections. Mind you, we could be in 2018 by then...Ellen and Boakai are by then former president and former vice president. Conditions will be imposed on the NEC to clean up its act. We could be talking about 60 days, 90 days or 180 days/6 months.

As the elections impasse continues, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf leaves Liberia this Friday for another PR trip to America with the CLINTONS as in Bill and Hilary in Arkansas. But the CLINTONS can't save Ellen from the war crimes and corruption prosecutions hanging over her head as soon as she leaves office in about 50 days from now.

Ellen's other political nemesis, American Prosecutor Allan White is waiting in the wings for Ellen, and Mr. White has tightened the noose around Ellen's neck with the folks at the State Department. All of Ellen's "friends" are out, gone with Hilary and Obama.

Interestingly, billionaire President Donald Trump takes no bribes from no one, not even from Ellen's hired K Street Lobbyists. Time is running out on Ellen, and not even the US Ambassador in Monrovia will help Ellen avoid the prosecutions that await her.

Again, the road to the Liberian presidency passes through Washington, DC, and by extension through the European Union, ECOWAS and the African Union, according my confidential sources here in Washington, the most powerful city in the world. Weah has diminished his chances by embracing The Charles Taylor Factor. You have been warned.

About the Author: Jerry Wehtee Wion, Journalist and Political Commentator, Washington, DC, USA

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