BUCHANAN, Grand Bassa – The National Elections Commission has begun a hearing into a complaint filed by Rep. Byron Browne of Grand Bassa’s fourth electoral district over concerns that there were electoral irregularities or frauds during the October 10 elections at five centers in his district.

Sue Town, Voe, Klein Town, Kennedy Town, and Kpokon Rally Road were the areas whose results were alleged to have been affected by irregularities or frauds. In Kennedy Town, Browne said “a fish carton was openly used as a ballot box,” denying the voters the right to secretly cast their votes as stipulated by the constitution.

“In the centers mentioned above, the ballots were cast in an open carton, creating rooms for ballot tampering by NEC workers and exposing improperly folded ballots to NEC workers and observers from parties, etc,” Browne’s complaint noted. “We believe that these ballots were not casted in secret as per the constitution of the Republic of Liberia.”

Browne also stated in his complaint that an unlocked or unsealed tub was used in Klein Town, adding, “It should have been locked or sealed before the commencement of the casting of ballots.”

Browne further detailed that At the Frank Diggs Town polling center, the tally sheet from Polling Station One was not stamped and at Sam Town Polling Station One, there are no indications of ballots used, unused and discarded.

As the result, the lawmaker is calling for a re-run or recount of votes in the district.

The complaint was filed on Monday, Oct. 16 and hearing began on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017, at NEC’s local office in Buchanan, Grand Bassa. The hearing will continue on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017.

According to NEC results, Vincent Willie obtained 5,896 votes, allowing him to take over the district from Browne, who did not even manage to place second.

Featured photo by Sampson David