MONROVIA, Montserrado – The National Elections Commission has announced an immediate suspension of all activities in preparation for the runoff presidential elections.
George Weah of the opposition Coalition for Democratic Change and Joseph Boakai of the ruling Unity Party received more votes than the rest of the other candidates in the presidential race, thus qualifying them to participate in a runoff election. Weah obtained 38.4 percent of the total valid votes in the presidential race on October 10, while Boakai had 28.8.
NEC had earlier announced that the runoff would be held next Tuesday, November 7.
The commission’s latest decision followed the issuance of a stay order on the election by the Supreme Court, amid a petition filed by Charles Brumskine’s Liberty Party.
The court also ordered the appearance of the National Elections Commission and members of its Board of Commissioners before its full bench on Thursday.
In a press conference held on Wednesday, NEC’s Chairman Jerome Korkoya announced that given the decision of the court, the November 7 schedule for the runoff election is likely impossible to hold.
“The National Elections Commission intends to strictly follow the order of the court,†Korkoya disclosed at the press briefing.
He said all activities in preparations for the November 7 runoff election, including training for election magistrates, electoral supervisors, and polling staff, would remain suspended until the court otherwise determined.
Korkoya said before the court’s order, activities for the runoff elections were on track as scheduled and ballot papers for the election are currently in the country.
According to him, transportation of election materials across the country was also on course, but would be immediately suspended following the court’s order.
Liberty Party, which took a distant third place in the October 10 presidential election, had petitioned the court for the decision after the party filed a complaint claiming that the October 10 presidential and representative elections were fraudulent and characterized by gross irregularities that violate the constitution and elections laws.
The party described the results of the polls as ‘not valid’ based on evidence in its possession. According to Brumskine, the process did not pass the minimum standards required for free, fair, and transparent elections.
Unity Party and All Liberia Party have joined collaboration with Liberty Party to dispute the elections results with the National Elections Commission.
During a press conference on Sunday, the parties disclosed in a joint statement that their attention was drawn to several issues of anomalies about the October 10 elections. According to them, the issues included widespread and systematic fraud, incompetence, inefficiencies, and deliberate actions and inactions on the part of NEC.
Korkoya denied the claims of fraud, adding that the NEC stands with its official results announced.
He called on political parties to use appropriate channels for grievances and complaints. He said while the commission recognizes the rights of every to freedom of speech, it also strongly condemns people making unsupported claims in public.
“Unsupported claims in the media risks inflaming the situation and dividing the people,†he said.
Featured photo courtesy of Zeze Ballah
