Liberia: Top Female Politicians’ Absence from Fundraiser Raises Questions About Women’s Solidarity in Liberian Politics
Source: Front Page Africa
MONROVIA — A prominent fundraising campaign for Edith Gongloe-Weh, the only female candidate in Tuesday’s upcoming senatorial by-election in Nimba County, has drawn widespread support from prominent women, including former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. But the noticeable absence of key female legislators has raised questions about solidarity within Liberia’s female political circles.
Since April 15, women have gathered at Invincible Park fish market in Monrovia to raise $10,000 for Gongloe-Weh’s campaign, with funds earmarked for poll watchers to protect votes, similar to efforts that helped Senator Botoe Kanneh secure her seat in 2020.
“Anyone who stops women is stopping progress in the world,” said Sirleaf, 86, who briefly visited the fundraiser to contribute. The former president praised Gongloe-Weh’s past service as Nimba County superintendent, saying, “She shows integrity, commitment, and dedication.”
But conspicuously missing from these events have been Senator Botoe Kanneh and Senator Nyonblee Kargar Lawrence, chair of the Women’s Legislative Caucus — the very organization established to support female political participation.
Read here the full article published by Front Page Africa on 21 April 2025.
Image by Front Page Africa
MONROVIA — A prominent fundraising campaign for Edith Gongloe-Weh, the only female candidate in Tuesday’s upcoming senatorial by-election in Nimba County, has drawn widespread support from prominent women, including former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. But the noticeable absence of key female legislators has raised questions about solidarity within Liberia’s female political circles.
Since April 15, women have gathered at Invincible Park fish market in Monrovia to raise $10,000 for Gongloe-Weh’s campaign, with funds earmarked for poll watchers to protect votes, similar to efforts that helped Senator Botoe Kanneh secure her seat in 2020.
“Anyone who stops women is stopping progress in the world,” said Sirleaf, 86, who briefly visited the fundraiser to contribute. The former president praised Gongloe-Weh’s past service as Nimba County superintendent, saying, “She shows integrity, commitment, and dedication.”
But conspicuously missing from these events have been Senator Botoe Kanneh and Senator Nyonblee Kargar Lawrence, chair of the Women’s Legislative Caucus — the very organization established to support female political participation.
Read here the full article published by Front Page Africa on 21 April 2025.
Image by Front Page Africa