President George Weah has submitted his plans for the state of emergency to the legislature, with provisions for food distribution, subsidies of utility bills, and other relief measures.
Lawmakers Have Not Yet Received President’s Declaration of State of Emergency
Although lawmakers convened on Capitol Hill, they have not yet received the president’s official state of emergency declaration; therefore, formal discussions on the subject have not begun yet.
Lawmakers Fail to Convene to Discuss State of Emergency on Thursday, Friday
The legislature failed to convened a joint session on Thursday as suggested by Pres. George Weah when he delivered his address to the country on Wednesday announcing a state of emergency to contain the Coronavirus pandemic in Liberia.
Pres. Weah Withdraws Nominations of NEC and LACC Heads
President George Weah has withdrawn two nominations to senior government posts, including that of Ndubusi Nwabudike for chair of the National Elections Commission.
Senate Confirms Four of Six NEC Commissioners, Excluding Nwabudike and Sayor
After failing to convince senators that he met the legal eligibility criteria, the confirmation hearing for the Nigerian-born nominee for the chair of the National Elections Commission has been suspended. Meanwhile, four of the six persons nominated to head the National Elections Commission have been confirmed.
At Confirmation Hearings, Citizenship of NEC Chair Designate Placed Under Question
The citizenship of George Weah’s pick for the chairmanship of the National Elections Commission came under serious questioning during his confirmation hearing at the Senate on Monday.
Dr. Kateh: Only US$500K of US$3 Million Provided to Fight Coronavirus
Liberia’s chief medical officer, Dr. Francis Kateh, says the Liberian government has only provided US$500,000 of the US$3 million requested by the Ministry of Health and the National Public Health Institute of Liberia to combat the Coronavirus pandemic.
Commerce Minister: Liberia Has Only One Week of Gasoline Left
Liberia’s commerce minister, Wilson Tarpeh, has informed the House of Representatives that there will be a serious shortage of gasoline on the Liberian market in the coming weeks.