Gbarnga County – The National Elections Commission local office in Bong County has reported the registration of 166,618 persons in Bong County.
Report by Selma Lomax, [email protected]
As of February 1- 25, the NEC lower Bong County office in Totota reported 61,669 registrants while the upper Bong office in Gbarnga recorded 75,149.
The NEC lower Bong County office in Totota covers Suakoko, Yellequelleh, Salala, Sanoyea and Fuamah districts while the upper office in Gbarnga covers Jorquelleh 1&2, Kpaii, Kokoyah, Boisen, Togbalee, Panta and Zota districts including Menquelleh clan.
Lower Bong County senior election magistrate, Barsee Kpangbai said all of the ninety five centers in the five districts remain open, though some are nearing the benchmark of three thousand registrants.
He said electoral #5 and 7 are currently reporting the highest number of registrants in lower Bong County, adding that there have been massive turnouts at centers around the St. Paul River in Fuamah district.
At the same time, the NEC senior magistrate in Gbarnga, Daniel Newland told the Liberia News Agency that five centers in electoral district#3 in the Gbarnga area have been closed after each of them met the benchmark of registering three thousand eligible voters.
Newland named the centers, as the David Kuyoun sports stadium, Gboveh high school, William V.S Tubman Grey United Methodist School, Wohn-A-Nehn and the Sunday market in Gbarnga.
He said centers at John F. Bakalu, Melekie, Gbaota, Winsue and Gbelekpalai among others remain opened in electoral district#3.
The two NEC magistrates have meanwhile encouraged residents and natives of the county who have not registered to turnout in order to secure their participation in the elections in October.
The Liberia Institute for Geo-Information Services 2008 population census indicates Bong County as the third most populated county in Liberia with a population of over three hundred fifty thousand residents.
In line with the LIGIS 2008 report, the National Elections Commission has set a target to register two hundred and ten thousand eligible voters in Bong county.
Of that number, the NEC office in Totota is to register one hundred thousand while the office in Gbarnga has one hundred ten thousand eligible voters to register.
The NEC added 26 new voters’ registration centers to the existing 155 centers in the county before the start of the voter registration, increasing the number to 181 centers in Bong County.
In 2011, the National Elections Commission registered more than one hundred fifty thousand eligible voters in Bong County.