ANC,CDC, others claim fraud
By our Reporter
With more complaints of irregularities being raised by political parties and candidate in the October 10 presidential and legislative elections, Liberia’s outgoing President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has expressed concern and wants grievances to be pursued by peaceful means.
The two latest complaints on Tuesday came from one of the presidential candidates, Alexander Cummings of the Alternative National Congress (ANC) who said his party has “substantive evidence of fraud” to render the polls invalid.
And is calling for forensic investigation; while George Weah’s Coalition of Democratic Change (CDC) said “evidence of electoral was discovered” by it at several polling places.
At the same time, the youth wing of the Charles Brumskine’s Liberty Party (LP) have announced that they will stage a protest in front of the National Elections Commission (NEC) headquarters this Friday in opposition to alleged fraud.
Presidential Press Secretary Jerolenmek Piah told the state owned Liberia Broadcasting System (LBS) live radio morning phone in talk in Monrovia on Wednesday that President Sirleaf hoped that all aggrieved parties and candidates would seek the available constitutional and judicial means to seek redress to their complaints.
Piah spoke of the importance the Liberian leader attaches to a free, fair and transparent electoral process that would lead to a peaceful and historic handover of power from one democratically elected government to another, marking the first time in Liberia since 1944.
On Tuesday, the ANC’s candidate Cummings came short of calling for a rerun as the Liberty Party (LP) candidate Charles Brumskine did last weekend, but the ANC leader said their evidence was enough to render the polls invalid.
“So, after much consultation and initial review of substantive evidence, I find it my duty and responsibility as a Liberian that is dedicated to creating change and reform, to explore challenging the purported outcome of the recent election,” Cummings told a news conference.
“To this end, we have engaged expert assistance to conduct detailed review of our findings with a view to verify and pursue every available avenue, legal and otherwise, to ensure a fair, transparent and valid election result,” the ANC presidential candidate added.
For its part, George Weah’s CDC said in a statement: “Evidence of electoral fraud was discovered at the G.W. Gibson polling precinct, polling place number 04, voting precinct code 30409, Montserrado District #8.” Provisional results released by the National Elections Commission (NEC) from this district in question puts the CDC’s current Representative Acarious Gray at the top.
The CDC has also called on NEC to give full account of the excess ballot papers printed for the October 10 elections.
“We expect the NEC to be neutral in these electoral process so as to safeguard the gains we have made towards peace and stability in Liberia. What we don’t expect of them is provocation which is what is being perpetrated by them. It is my hope that NEC will put its acts together going into the run-off so that we all can continue to enjoy the peace and stability that Liberians are currently proud of,” the statement added,” the CDC’s statement said.
Since the polls, NEC Chairman Jerome Korkoya has admitted that there were some irregularities and administrative lapses by some polling staff, but that some actions have been taken by the commission.
At three of the polling places where irregularities were discovered in Nimba and Grand Gedeh counties, results from those places were excluded and there were reruns.
Also, a polling officer allegedly caught attempting to stuff ballot at one center has since been arrested and charged by the Liberia National Police (LNP).