Monrovia – The Board of Commissioners of the National Elections Commission (NEC) has denied the Liberty and Unity Parties appeal for a rerun of the October 10 elections, stating that they failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove the allegations of mass irregularities and electoral fraud.
Report by Lennart Dodoo, [email protected]
The Supreme Court of Liberia in October issued a Writ of Prohibition on the runoff elections which was originally scheduled for November 7, pending the outcome of the hearing at the NEC.
In their ruling, the Board of Commissioners upheld the ruling of the NEC Hearing Officer, Muana Ville, saying that the parties failed to prove fraud.
“The Honorable Supreme Court has defined fraud as the employment of trick, artifice or deception to cheat or mislead another and it is not sufficient to merely alleged fraud as a basis for relief, it must be established by proof,” Commissioner Davidetta Lassanah, read the ruling on behalf of the Board.
According to ruling, it is agreed that some transposing errors occurred during the October 10 elections but said were corrected and didn’t have any impact on the overall outcome of the elections cannot constitute fraud.
“Accordingly, we hold that the Hearing Officer did not err, and the first and second appellant for a rerun of the October 10 2017 elections is hereby denied.
Wherefore and in view of the foregoing, appellants appeal is hereby denied.
The Hearing Officer’s final ruling in these proceedings is hereby confirmed and reaffirmed and it is hereby so ordered,” Commissioner Lassanah averred and knocked the gavel.
Lawyers representing the two political parties took exception to the ruling and announced that they will take an appeal to the Supreme Court.
Cllr. Varney Sherman who represented the ruling Unity Party described the ruling as erroneous, but said he would prove his case at the Supreme Court.
Upon filing the appeal, the Supreme Court, per the dictates of the Constitution, has a maximum of seven days to review the case and make a determination