Freeman Backs Opposition Cooperation

MONROVIA, September 29, 2026 — Movement for Progressive Change (MPC) Political Leader Simeon Freeman says the emerging cooperation among opposition political parties should focus on building trust and addressing national issues rather than prematurely deciding a presidential ticket for the 2029 elections.

Freeman, speaking during an appearance on Voice of Liberia, said opposition parties can maintain their separate political identities while cooperating on issues they consider important to the Liberian people.

“This engagement is not about political marriage,” Freeman said, stressing that the discussions are not currently intended to determine who becomes presidential or vice-presidential candidate in 2029.

His comments come days after five opposition parties — the MPC, Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), Alternative National Congress (ANC), Movement for Economic Empowerment (MOVEE) and Union of Liberian Democrats Party (ULDP) — signed a joint communiqué establishing a framework for continued political cooperation.

The parties have maintained that the arrangement is not currently an electoral alliance and allows each participating party to retain its political identity and organizational autonomy while cooperating on issues of common concern.

According to Freeman, opposition parties could eventually contest elections separately while still collaborating on joint activities, public engagements and the sharing of organizational and communication resources.

He cited a recent program involving Montserrado County District #9 Representative Frank Saah Foko as an example of political actors working together without necessarily entering a formal political alliance.

Freeman said such cooperation could also reduce the cost of organizing separate political activities by allowing participating parties to pool resources and coordinate engagements with citizens.

“If we work together like this, we are able to go to the people and say, look, we were not able to form one ticket,” he said, suggesting that opposition candidates could still cooperate where their interests converge.

The MPC leader said the immediate priority should be building trust among opposition leaders and identifying common national concerns rather than negotiating presidential and vice-presidential positions.

“Remain who you are, but let’s unite on common issues that threaten the survival of our people,” Freeman said.

He argued that political leaders who competed against one another in previous elections can still communicate and cooperate when they identify issues requiring collective attention.

Freeman also defended continued engagement with former President George Manneh Weah and other opposition figures, saying opposition leaders should not spend all their time debating the records of previous administrations.

Instead, he said political actors should scrutinize the performance of the government currently in power while drawing lessons from previous administrations.

The latest opposition cooperation grew out of an initial roundtable hosted by Weah on September 5 and 6, when participating leaders agreed to establish a steering committee to develop a framework for collaboration.

A second roundtable, hosted by Freeman in Monrovia on September 27, resulted in five parties signing a joint communiqué and establishing an Opposition Political Parties’ Joint Technical Committee to develop an operational agenda for their cooperation.

The parties said their cooperation is centered on national issues rather than immediate electoral calculations, while acknowledging that the success of their collaboration could eventually influence discussions surrounding the 2029 elections.