Senator Wortoson Inducted as New Senate Pro-Tempore

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Senator Wortoson Inducted as New Senate Pro-Tempore
Promises Unity and Hard Work, By Stephen Binda
March 28, 2009

Members of Liberian Senate on Thursday, March 26, 2009, voted and inducted into office Grand Kru County Senior Senator Cletus Wortoson as its new President Pro-Tempore.

The election for the position took place in the joint chambers of the National Legislature yesterday.

Senator Wortoson won the election with 18 votes while Grand Bassa County Senior Senator, Gbehzongar Findley, had 11 votes with one invalid vote.

Before the election, the atmosphere in the Senate chamber was very tense with Senator Isaac Nyenabo walking up and down holding brief discussions with his fellow senators.

The Senate election was, however, conducted in a peaceful atmosphere with senators seated and being called by their names to cast their votes.

Following the election process, the Secretary of the Senate announced Senator Wortoson as winner. The announcement was greeted with jubilation among the senators including Senator Isaac Nyenabo.

After the announcement of the results, security guards assigned to Senator Nyenabo left their post and quickly moved to protect the newly-elected President Pro-Tempore.

Speaking following the induction ceremony, Senator Wortoson thanked the senators for electing him as their head. He also promised to unite the Liberian Senate which, he noted, had been engulfed in series of crisis within the last seven months.

He told his colleagues that he would organize a retreat, in the next few weeks, for all senators to ensure reunification and peace.

The Senate President Pro-Tempore also noted that his leadership would continue to work closely with the Executive Branch of Government as well as President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

For his part, Grand Bassa County Senior Senator Gbehzongar Findley said he welcomed the defeat and considered it as a challenge.

He pledged his support for Senator Wortoson in making sure that they all worked together in moving the Liberian Senate forward in the interest of Liberians and the state. The Senate election brought together observers from the National Elections Commission (NEC), International Republican Institute (IRI) as well as representatives from various civic society organizations in the country.

The just-ended election at the Liberian Senate came as a result of the forceful resignation of Grand Gedeh County Senior Senator Isaac Nyenabo from his post of Pro-Tempore of the Liberian Senate owing to a vote of no confidence crafted and launched by more than 25 senators.