MONROVIA – The National Elections Commission (NEC) released 22.33 percent of tallied results from 1,315 out of 5,890 Polling Places across the country on Wednesday evening which shows similar voting pattern witnessed in the first round of the election on October 10.

By Lennart Dodoo, ldodoo@frontpageafricaonline.com

The data currently places opposition candidate Amb. Joseph Boakai in the lead with 193,041 votes (50.71%), while incumbent President George Manneh Weah follows closely with 187,615 votes, representing 49.29 percent of the tallied results thus far.

Weah currently leads in the southeastern counties, including Maryland, Grand Gedeh, Sinoe, Rivergee, Bong, and Grand Bassa. No results were mentioned for Grand Kru County.

On the other hand, Boakai has taken the lead in the vote-rich Montserrado, Nimba, and Lofa Counties. He maintains a competitive lead in the western cluster comprising Grand Cape Mount, Bomi, and Gbarpolu Counties.

The Tuesday runoff election, necessitated by the failure of both Weah and Boakai to secure 50 percent plus one vote in the October 10 presidential and general elections, witnessed a significantly low turnout compared to the initial election.

During Wednesday’s NEC press briefing, Chairperson Davidetta Brown Lansannah stated that while the NEC has 15 days to announce the final results, expedited county result collection could potentially lead to an early announcement of the final results.

Disturbances Reported

The Tuesday runoff election, prompted by the failure of both Weah and Boakai to secure 50 percent plus one vote in the October 10 presidential and general elections, transpired largely under peaceful circumstances. However, there were reports of disturbances in some areas, particularly in Montserrado County.

According to Madam Lansannah, at Sister Kathleen McGuire Catholic School Precinct in Electoral District #6, some citizens damaged one of the rented vehicles, arguing that it was not an NEC vehicle and should not have transported electoral materials to voting centers. Similarly, in Electoral District #12, at the Chicken Soup Factory AGM School, another hired vehicle was prevented from retrieving electoral materials for the same reason. In Electoral District #2 at the MVTC precinct, an electoral supervisor was reportedly attacked and wounded. The police intervened and brought the situation under control, according to Lansannah.

Below is a table of the showing the number of votes and percentages of polling places per county for Weah and Boakai:

MONROVIA – The National Elections Commission (NEC) has said its attention has been drawn to an article in the Liberian Observer Newspaper and circulated on social media, attributed to former Liberia Information Minister Lamini Waritay, under the caption “Only NEC Can Rig Election”. 

Henry Karmo henrykarmo@frontpageafricaonline.com 

In the article, Mr. Waritay is reported as saying that the National Elections Commission (NEC) is the “only body” that has the power to “categorically rig” the October 10 polls. 

In response to the article, the NEC categorically denied and condemned the allegations. In the NEC repose, it also stated that, the story has no basis and in fact; it is false, misleading, and a dangerous attempt to undermine the electoral process and expose the Commission to disrepute and endanger members of its staff, while at the same time threatening the peace. 

The NEC assures the Liberian people and the public that the Commission does not “rig elections” as there is no record to prove such a dangerous and baseless claim. 

“On the contrary, the NEC conducts free, fair, inclusive, and credible elections and the records are available from past elections, and for the October 10, 2023, General Elections, Liberians can rest assured that the NEC will do so as well. 

“The NEC calls on all Liberians registered to go to the polls on October 10 to vote, and assures that their votes will count.

As part of enhancing transparency of the voting, counting, and tally processes, the NEC urges all candidates, independent and those from political parties to send their agents to the 5890 polling places in the 2080 precincts to take account of the polling and counting of votes at those polling places. At the end of polling and counting, agents of candidates and political parties will sign the record of the count, attesting to the accuracy of the process.”

According to the NEC, at the polling place, the agents of the two parties/candidates with the highest number of votes in the polling place will be given copies of the record of the count. 

Additionally, the announcement of winners begins at the polling place when the record of the count is posted on the wall in the polling place in full view of candidates and party agents and local, regional, and international observers. 

“It must be noted that a copy of the results is put in an envelope known as TEE, which is sealed in the presence of all agents and observers. The TEEs are later transferred to the election magistrates’ offices where they are opened and tallied in full view of everyone, and all the results are sent electronically to the NEC Headquarters, where the results are announced, first preliminary as they come, and then the final results are announced. 

“The Commission assures all Liberians, candidates, political parties, stakeholders, political actors and observers that the NEC is committed to ensuring that the necessary safeguards 

are put in place for the conduct of the elections to which end the Commission will announce the outcome of the votes from the October 10, 2023 Presidential and Legislative Elections in a credible manner.”

The NEC calls on all Liberians and stakeholders to always contact the Commission when they are in doubt and refrain from these kinds of dangerous and unfounded stories that have the propensity to not only undermine the credibility of the electoral process but that could also put employees of the NEC in harm ways and even threaten the peace.