PHOTO: Incumbent Representative Mary M. Kawor and Main Rival Independent Candidate, Clarence T. Banks battles over the seat of electoral district #2
By King Brown, Sarwahking@gmail.com
Grand Bassa County, Liberia-The National Elections Commission (NEC) has announced a rerun of the representative election at two polling places in Grand Bassa County electoral district #2 for tempering with election materials (Ballot Papers) election fraud and election irregularities.
NEC Hearing Officer also ruled on Tuesday and granted recounts in some parts of the district for transparency and equity.
According to the Hearing Officer, Atty. Vincent B. Smith, the rerun will take place in two precincts, code 09068 and 09068 which contained the Civil Compound Administrative Building and Kpelle Town Palava Hut.
Also, NEC Grand Bassa Hearing Officer ordered a recount in two precincts, code 09074 and 09075 which include Palapolu Palava Hut and Daniel Town Palava hut.
Atty. Smith made the decision at the local office of NEC in the fairground community in Buchanan following a ten counts petition filed by Incumbent Representative Mary Kawor against Clarence Banks who NEC announced winner of the October 10, legislative and presidential elections.
Representative Kawor has served the district for two terms (12 years) and she is seeking a third term in office.
She contested on the ticket of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) while Clarence T. Banks ran on as an independent candidate.
During the hearing, the complainant, Mary Kawor was represented by Atty. Alexander Saylee of the Howard and partners Inc. and the legal department of the CDC, while the co-respondent Clarence Banks was represented by Cllr. Aaron Karte in these proceedings.
On the 28 of October, Madam Kawor filed a ten-count petition for tempering with elections material (Ballot Boxes) electoral fraud and electoral irregularities before the Hearing Office requesting NEC to hold an impartial hearing into the issues raised by her.
Atty Alexander Saylee on behalf of the current Lawmaker, alleged that 243 votes were missing in the box, and only 238 votes were accounted for at precinct No. 9004, polling place 01 and 02, while polling place two reported 576 ballots with extra 27 votes.
Saylee said at precinct No. 9031 polling place one, they discovered 578 ballots were reported and 180 ballots were unused while 370 ballots were taken from the ballot box which amounted to 550 but instead, 28 invalid votes were reported making it 578 ballots.
He mentioned that precinct No. 9058, polling place one reported 311 votes, but the combined valid and invalid votes accumulated to 312 votes giving extra one vote in excess to be accounted for.
Making his case, Saylee named other areas with similar complaint as precincts No. 9103 at polling place 01; precinct No. 9150 at polling place 01; precinct No. 9144 at polling place 01; and precinct No. 9145 at polling place 01 which he says the number of ballot papers exceeded the amount of 550 as mandated by the National Elections Commission (NEC).
He further alleged that on Wednesday, October 11, 2023, the Campaign Manager of candidate Clarence T. Banks, Amos Johnson and his deputy were seen transporting NEC temporary staff in their campaign vehicle which he says violated the Election Laws of Liberia and, as such, they should be denied as winner of the just ended 2023 elections.
Saylee emphasized that ballot boxes that were entrusted with Police Commander of electoral district two, Grand Bassa county Inspector Nimopoe Nidoteh were seen opened with seals removed from on top of some of the boxes.
Based on these accusations, Commander Nidoteh as a subpoena witness told the Hearing Officer that one of Presiding Officers Gabriel Moore brought the ballot boxes and some were opened with seal removed and some of the boxes were opened with sky taped all around them.
Following that Hon. Mary Kawor through her lawyer prays the Hearing Officer for a rerun and recount in all those areas listed in the complaint considered as problematic precincts or centers.
But responding to the numerous allegations, Mr. Clarence T. Banks through his lawyer, Cllr. Aaron Karte said all of the tally sheets displayed by the complainant cannot suffice on grounds that all mistakes that were made on those tally sheets and given to parties’ representatives were corrected at the tally centers.
Cllr. Karte asserted that these were reasons why all parties were required to send their representatives at each tally center to properly check the records of count to know whether or not these corrections were made.
He asked Atty Saylee to clearly state who denied two of their poll watchers as alleged and why they were denied by the police from entering after they arrived late at the polling centers due to lack of tags.
Following that, the Hearing Officer said there were few missteps which constituted grounds for recount and rerun.
Atty. Smith and his Co- Presiding Officer-Grand Bassa NEC Magistrate David Logan ruled that all other requests made by Representative Mary Kawor and her legal team were denied except the recount and re-run of those areas.
On behalf of candidate Clarence T. Bank, Cllr. Karte announced an open appeal to the Board of Commissioners of the National Elections Commissioner for review and subsequent reversal.
However, the date for the recount and re-run has not yet been disclosed by NEC.
It can be recalled Hon. Mary Kawor won two successful elections as representative of electoral district two, Grand Bassa County from (2012-2023) on the ticket of the Unity Party. She later resigned from the Unity Party and ran on the CDC ticket in the just ended 2023 election.