MONROVIA – The National Elections Commission (NEC) has announced independent candidate Edward Papay Flomo winner of the Montserrado County District 13 Representative by-election conducted on Tuesday.
The district is known be to a stronghold of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) which fielded John Weah Jr. in the by-election. District 13 was controlled by the CDC in the past 12 years.
The chairman of the National Elections Commission (NEC), Cllr. Jerome George Kokorya on Thursday, November 23, 2018 announced at the Commission’s press conference Flomo obtained 5310 votes which amounted to 34.4 percent and would therefore replace Saah Joseph who was elected Senator in the recent senatorial by-election in Montserrado and Bong Counties.
“By the power vested in me, and acting on behalf of the Board of Commissioners of the National Elections Commission, and based on the results just announced, I hereby declare Mr. Edward Papay Flomo, Jr. as the winner of Montserrado Dist. #13 Representative By-Election,” Cllr. Kokorya said.
Kokoya reported that all of the 89 polling places in Montserrado Dist. #13 have reported and the all the results were tallied according to the Commission’s procedures.
He said 15,451 of the registered voters voted and of that number, 183 votes were invalid.
Kokoya said CDC’s John J. Weah obtained 4878 or 31.6 percent of the total votes cast and as such he came close yet too far from Edward Flomo who has now become the official face of the people of District #13 at the House of Representatives.
Eleven other candidates, including Cornelia Kruah-Togba, daughter of Post and Telecommunications Minister (Cooper Kruah) who contested on the ticket of the forming ruling Unity Party (UP) and Journalist Oniel Robert of Truth FM contested the vacant seat.
In the Sinoe County Senatorial by-election Kokoya announced that 79 of the 136 polling places constituting 58.09 percent have reported and those results have already been tallied.
“In Sinoe 11,428 voters turned out and voted. There were 136 polling places but 79 of those polling places have reported and tallied,” he said.
Of the results announced from the 79 polling places, Augustine Chea of the CDC obtained 4,106 votes or 36.8 percent while Romeo Thomas Quiah of United People’s Party (UPP) obtained 3,568 votes or 32.0 percent.
Others are Morlu Clark Jabba of VOLT obtained 497 votes or 4.5 percent and Othello Doe Nagbe CLP obtained 2980 votes, 26.7 percent.
Kokoya said 11,151 votes were registered as valid votes while 277 are invalid votes, thereby bringing the total number of votes to 11,420.
The NEC chairman said two complaints have so far reached the desk of the Commission. He said the two complaints are from Mont. District #13.
“The First complaint against Senator Saah Joseph. The complainant is Alhaji Sekou Massaley, a resident of Chuckly City. Complainant alleged Election offenses, including intimidation, threatening of voters, etc. by Sen. Joseph and his followers during the election period,” he said.
He noted that the second complaint came from another resident of the District, Coel Kabba, who alleged that one of the NEC presiding officers at voting precinct 30209, polling place #2 was found giving food to CDC agents.
Kokorya said the NEC independent hearing office will look into the matters.
He said no complaint has yet come from Sinoe.
He meanwhile expressed the Commission’s thanks and appreciation to the government for doing all it was required to do in order to ensure that the elections were held.
He also appreciated the media for informing the public at all times on elections, the joint election security for ably providing protection for NEC temporary staff, the voters, local and international observers and every other person who visited any of the polling places.