Who was Daniel F. Naatehn?
Naatehn represented the Liberian Civil Society Organization in the legislative body of the country’s national transitional government in March 1994. Naatehn won the 2005 election for the Liberian Senate, representing Gbarpolu County while running under the Unity Party. Naatehn lost his bid for reelection in the 2011 election. Naatehn ran with the Alternative National Congress (ANC) and was re-elected to the Liberian Senate in 2014.
He served in the Senate for 17 years before his death.
In 2019, Sen. Naatehn succeeded L. Horatio Gould as Chairman of the ANC during a convention held in Ganta, Nimba County. Naatehn died on August 8, 2023, while seeking medical attention in India. Up until his death, he was a member of the Senate Committee on Transportation.
In the upcoming presidential and legislative elections slated for October 10, 2023, Naatehn registered and went through all of the processes to seek re-election.
He was certified by the National Elections Commission (NEC) and declared a candidate to participate in the electoral process until his death.
Following his death, there have been claims and counterclaims about his image appearing on the ballot on election day since he was qualified to contest.
The Stage Media commenced a check to clear the doubts of the public.
What the NEC says:
According to Henry Flomo, the NEC’s communications director, Naatehn’s picture will not appear on the ballot.
He said this is due to the fact that Naatehn died when the ballots for the October 10, 2023, elections had not yet been printed.
In other words, had the ballot been produced at the time of his demise, the NEC would not have had the option to remove his details, so it is possible that it would have appeared on the ballot on election day.
Conclusion: Despite meeting the eligibility requirements to contest the October 10 elections, Naatehn’s image will not appear on the ballot paper because he died prior to the printing of the ballot paper.
This story was produced with the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development’s (CJID) support.
