MONROVIA: It has come perhaps to be Liberia’s most earth-shattering political duel in history. Already, the first round of balloting showed clear signs of fiery venom in the manner and form the votes came. Looking back six years ago, it is the same two archrivals—President George Manneh Weah and former Vice President Joseph Nyuma Boakai—who were at it back in 2017. Twice the locked horns, including a runoff, and Weah prevailed. This year, 2023, they already had one on October 10. Pundits say the real showdown of the “best out of four” looms at runoff this November, when various demographic forces are expected to harden their loyalties for their “own”—a situation that spells naked uphill struggle in the truest sense of the word for them both. Who will survive and who won’t is the overarching question left for the dexterity of any of the campaign teams. As it stands meanwhile, President Weah’s CDC sits thinly on top, surviving and overrunning UP’s 0.05 percent a day before. The Analyst reports.
The torturing suspense Liberians and foreigners alike endured for the last seven days over how results of the October 10 polls would end has evaporated in thin air with much clarity about the fact that runoff is indisputably imminent.
The two major political parties, the CDC and UP, sustained the suspense with “one round victory” refrain even in the dying days of the vote counting process. But all the noise now gives way to new platitudes, that the runoff is the opportunity for the clearest of victory. And both parties are in the rhetoric.
The doubts and suspense became more visible yesterday, Tuesday, October 17, 2023 after the Chairperson of the National Elections Commission (NEC) announced additional progressive results from 5,796 polling places out of the 5890 places nationwide. And there was no possibility of any of the candidates proved capable of securing the constitutionally required condition of 50-% plus to win the presidency on the first ballot.
Clearly, the results showed that the shortfall is below the threshold for any one party to cling the highest office of the land.
At the close of the count yesterday, and as reported by the NEC Chairperson, President Weah netted 791,661 votes while Boakai got 786,205 votes. This gave the President a lead of 5,456 votes.
By extension, Weah’s score represents 43.79% of the total vote cast while Boakai came close with 43.49%. The margin stands at 0.3%.
With that, it became clearer that neither of the parties got the balance 7% and one vote to hit the threshold.
According to Madam Brown-Lassanah, votes from 4 counties had been counted 100%. They included Rivercess, Grand Bassa, Gbarpolu and Lofa Counties while the balance 11 are yet to be completed at 100%.
The date for the run off will be announced immediately after NEC must have released the total results on October 25, 2023, but political pundits put the date of the run off tentatively on the 7th of November, 2023 to conform with the traditional format of holding such elections at least two weeks after the release of the final results.
Meanwhile, NEC has instructed the Secretariat of the Commission to plan a re-run of the Presidential, Senatorial and Representative Elections at two polling places in Precincts in Beo Lontuo in Electoral District #04 in Nimba County on Friday, 20 October 2023.
At the Commission’s regular press briefing yesterday, NEC Chairperson Madam Davidetta Brown-Lansana recalled that the electoral body reported that following the close of the polls on 10 October 2023 at Precincts in Beo Lontuo, some individuals made away with some of the ballot boxes and later destroyed the contents.
She cataloged series of cases that the NEC has been addressing.
The NEC boss said the Magistrates of Upper and Lower Montserrado ordered the arrest of five polling staff for electoral malpractice, noting that similarly at the Grand Cape Mount Tally Center in Robertsport, the Election Magistrate reported that three presiding officers were found to have been involved in electoral malpractices at the Weajue Public School Precinct with code 12035.
Madam Brown-Lansana said investigations were ongoing in these matters and she further assured the public that findings will be disclosed to the public as soon as they are made available.
She added that as NEC approaches the conclusion of the announcement of progressive results for the 10 October 2023 Presidential and Legislative Elections, Liberians should rest assure that all ballots will be accounted for.
“As NEC approaches the Conclusion of the announcement of progressive results, the Commission assures Liberians and all stakeholders that all ballots placed in ballot boxes during voting, which were counted at polling places on the day of voting, tallied at the magisterial tally centers across the country and transmitted to the NEC Data Center, and collated for the Presidential Senatorial and Representative Elections, will be announced,” the NEC Chairperson said.
She reiterated the Commission’ commitment to the integrity of processing and announcing of the votes of the Liberian people now and to the very end.
Madam Lasannah said the Commission will continue announce the final results of winners in the Presidential and Legislative Elections in the coming days.
Below is the progressive result as of yesterday, Tuesday, October 17, 2023:
Bomi County
JNB -25258
GMW -18152
Apple -1909
Bong County
553-555 – Polling Units
GMW -76776
JNB- 67124
Apple -5278
BASSA – County
405-405 Polling Units
GMW- 46651
JNB- 36214
Grand Cape mount- County
JNB -23806
GMW -22908
Apple -1472
Grand kru County
GMW- 24222
JNB -2556
Apple -1134
Grand Gedeh -County
GMW- 34419
JNB -4638
Apple -1180
Margibi County
JNB -57178
GMW-49874
Apple- 2838
Maryland -county
GMW -34990
JNB- 5420
Montserrado -County
JNB 320727
GMW 318053
Alcoa 17015
NIMBA -County
JNB – 137433
GMW -50269
Gonglo -6856
Sinoe County
GMW- 29621
JNB -4467
Apple-1110
River Gee -County
GMW -19103
JNB-4417
Apple-1038
National consolidated
JNB-786,205 Votes.
GMW- 791,661 Votes
Votes Difference: 5,456 Votes in favor of President George Manneh Weah
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