Preliminary Results: Sen. Dillon, Rep Fallah Topping -As NEC Announces Provisional Results Thursday
Preliminary results of the midterm senatorial election in Montserrado have been emerging with official declaration posted in polling places putting Abraham Darius Dillon of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) and Thomas Fallah of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) ahead of the rest of the Candidates contesting the Senatorial seat for Montserrado; while CPP’s Nyonblee Karnga Lawrence and CDC’s Milton Gbezongar Finley are ahead of contestants for the Grand Bassa Seat in the Senate.
Results from other counties have indicated, for instance, that Edith Gongloe Weh and Jerimiah Kun are on top in Nimba while the race for the Senate Seat for Bong County have been fluctuating between Representative Prince Moye and Senator |Henry Yallah. In Grand Gedeh County, it has been reported that Representative Zoe Pennoh and former Foreign Minister Thomas Yaya Nimely have been accumulating more votes over the other contestants, while in Margibi County, former Speaker Emmanuel Nuquay has taken an early lead over other contenders amongst others.
As we gather more reports, The Analyst will subsequently bring you details of the results.
The midterm senatorial election which was conducted yesterday alongside two representative bye-elections in Monrovia and Sinoe Counties respectively, and the national referendum, was conducted peacefully.
NEC Communication Director Henry Flomo, in a chat with this paper last evening, disclosed that the National Elections Commission will commence tallying the results today with expectation that releasing provisional results by Thursday, December 10, 2020.
Meanwhile, the senatorial election is being held across the country to elect 15 new senators from the 15 political subdivisions of the country as well as the national referendum to vote on 8 propositions sent from the executive branch of government.
Further reports from the centers visited by our team have it that there has been huge enthusiasm among the citizens with elderly persons up to 70 years old and younger people, mostly first time voters, constituting a large component of voters in long queues to cast votes for the candidates of their choice.
Despite the optimism expressed in the conduct of the exercise thus far, it has however been reported that the voters in some counties or districts are experiencing some challenges to vote on the propositions in the referendum due to lack of adequate awareness, sensitization and voter’s education from the National Elections Commission (NEC). Some voters who later spoke to our reporters blamed the government and NEC for the manner and way the whole referendum issue was handled, knowing fully that the exercise was crucial to our democracy and governance process.
According to them, there will be more people getting interest in voting for candidates in the race than taking interest in voting for the referendum due to the differences in the dissemination and reception of information during the campaign and sensitization period.
Our reporters also said some voters are being stopped from exercising their franchise for not wearing nose and face masks to observe the health protocol for the COVID 19 despite the order given by NEC not to stop any voters from participating on ground of not wearing masks.
In a related development, the Liberian National Police has arrested two men with over three hundred voter registration cards on 19th street in Sinkor, Monrovia. The two men were taken to the police station and currently going under investigation. Journalists who made efforts to gather information from the police were denied access.
The Liberia National Police has arrested two men with over three hundreds voter registration cards at 19th street in Sinkor, Monrovia. The two men were taken to the police station and currently going under investigation.
When journalists tried to gathered information from the police they were denied access. At the same the polling supervisor at the Nat Onal Housing precinct Center has complained over lack of knowledge of the polling staffs at his center.
He said lack of people were not part of the training conduct by NEC and UNDP but they were brought in by some top NEC officials.