MONROVIA, Montserrado – The National Elections Commission has announced it will rule into complaints filed against it in Montserrado’s 15th district representative by-election tomorrow, August 14.
Following the conduct of the joint legislative by-elections on July 29, two of the seven candidates in the county’s 15th district representative election, Telia Urey of the All Liberian Party and independent candidate Bishop Frank filed separate complaints against NEC for electoral irregularities, which they claimed amounted to electoral fraud.
The commission, meanwhile, quarantined the results from the 20 affected polling centers and launched an immediate investigation into the matter through its hearing office.
Over the period of the hearings, the commission said petitioners, led by lead counsel Lavala Supuwood, presented 14 witnesses, including candidates Urey and Frank, while the respondents, NEC, represented by Teege Jalloh, produced six witnesses, which included its data center and training directors Floyd Sayor and James Wallace, respectively.
Jonathan Massaquoi also represented the interveners, the Coalition for Democratic Change, as its lead counsel.
On Tuesday, legal arguments were concluded into the case nearly one week since the hearings began. The commission’s independent hearing officer urged all parties to the case to be present for the ruling at NEC’s headquarters on Wednesday at 2:00 p.m.
NEC had announced provisional results from 74 of the 94 polling places, amounting to 78.7 percent of the total polling places in the district. In the updated tally, NEC said Urey had so far secured 5,573 votes, representing 42.68 percent, while Abu Kamara of the Coalition for Democratic Change obtained 5,417 votes or 41.48 percent.
The new results released by the commission conspicuously reduced Kamara’s vote count by 98 votes from when the elections body released its first provisional results that placed Kamara in the lead.
Meanwhile, the commission is urging the public to remain peaceful and await the final ruling on Wednesday.
“NEC says it remains resolute in protecting the rights of all voters of District 15, as reflected in their votes on July 29, 2019,†the release added.
Featured photo courtesy of Zeze Ballah
