With the elections approximately six weeks away, the winner off the popular vote will be entitled to just a brief moment to gloat and then get down to the business of assuming leadership of the country. And from the day the President-elect and Vice President-elect are announced, a series of transitional activities must take place leading up to inauguration. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has submitted a new bill (act) to the Legislature that, if passed into law, will be titled, The Presidential Transitional Act of 2017. The bill makes room for, among other things, any logistical, political, security, appropriative and other activities that would be required for the smooth transfer of political power between the President and Vice President and the President-elect and Vice President-elect, respectively.
The act will seek for former presidents and vice presidents to be provided with adequate and appropriate security, as may be from time to time and be determined by the director of the Executive Protection Service (EPS) in consultation with the former presidents and vice presidents. It also provided that in no event shall the security detail around the former president be less than five armed security personnel, and around the former vice president be less than three at all times.
In identical letters to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Senate Pro-Tempore, President Sirleaf said, “The aim of the draft law is to set up a framework for the smooth transfer of political power and governance and build a strong foundation that would enhance the democratic value for sustainable peace.” The letter was read on Tuesday, August 22 to the Lower House in session.
Full Article: Presidential Transition Act Surfaces at Legislature | Liberian Observer.
