Results From Only 783 Polling Places Yet To Be Announced
By Our Staff Writer
In the latest batch of results released by the National Elections Commission (NEC) a short time ago, the presidential candidate of the main opposition Unity Party (UP) is maintaining his lead over incumbent President George Weah of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) in the November 14 presidential runoff election.
With over 86% of the votes tallied, NEC Chairperson Davidetta Browne Lansanah told a news conference in Monrovia today, Thursday, November 16, 2023 that Boakai leads with 50.58%, while Weah is trailing with 49.42% of the valid votes tallied so far.
Shortly before NEC’s announcement of the second batch of official results on Thursday, both the CDC and UP had said they have won Tuesday’s polls with celebrations seen in several places and on the social media. Finance Minister Samuel Tweah, an executive of CDC is seen in a Facbook video rejoicing–singing and dancing with other officials, while Montserrado County District #10 Representative Yekeh Kolubah and his opposition supporters are seen and heard on Facebook celebrating what he called the victory of Joseph Boakai. At one point, he referred to Boakai as “our new President”.
But international and local election observation groups have frowned on the action of political parties and candidates who are engaging in prematurely declaring themselves winners, urging them to wait for NEC which is the only institution with the constitutional authority to declare winners in elections.
In the latest results, from 1, 431, 388 valid votes tallied so far, Boakai has 712,741 votes in his favour, while Weah follows with 696,520 votes.
In the first round of the presidential election on October 10, 2023 neither Weah nor Boakai reached the constitutionally required threshold to win outright as absolute majority is required. Therefore, NEC on Tuesday, October 24, 2023 declared that none of the two top presidential candidates was able to get the 50% plus one vote constitutionally required to win the first round of the October 10 election. This is the requirement of Liberia’s 1986 Constitution.
“Article 83 a. Voting for the President, Vice-President, members of the Senate and members of the House of Representatives shall be conducted throughout the Republic on the second Tuesday in October of each election year.
- All elections of public officers shall be determined by an absolute majority of the votes cast. If no candidate obtains an absolute majority in the first ballot, a second ballot shall be conducted on the second Tuesday following. The two candidates who received the greatest numbers of votes on the first ballot shall be designated to participate in the run-off election.