But 2 Opposition Candidates, Cummings And Moniba Allege Potential “Fraud”
By Our Staff Writer
President George Manneh Weah, he CDC candidate in the October 10 election has taken a lead over Joseph Boakai of the main opposition UP in the third progressive Tally result released by the National Elections Commission (NEC) on Friday, October 13, 2023.
Results from 1, 527 of the 5, 890 polling places tallied puts Weah at 44.56%, while Boakai comes second with 42.68% as at 6:18 pm GMT on Friday.
Coming third and fourth respectively are Lusinee Kamara of the All Liberian Coalition Party (ALCOP) and Cllr. Tiawan Gongloe of the Liberia People’s Party (LPP). National Elections Commission – Results Portal (necliberia.org)
Weah, the former international football icon-turned politician, is being challenged by 19 contenders, including two female politicians in his bid for a second term after coming to power in January 2018 after defeating former Vice President Boakai of the UP by winning 14 of Liberia’s 15 counties during the 2017 elections.
Tallied results announced by NEC Chairperson, Davidetta Browne Lansanah came from several counties in the southeastern, northern, western and central regions.
The Chairperson of the national electoral body said more results will be announced today, Saturday at NEC’s daily press conference.
Davidetta Browne Lansanah
Official preliminary results have also been released by NRC the hotly contested presidential and legislative elections last Tuesday.
NEC Chairperson Borwne Lansanah told Friday’s news conference that the extended voting in Sinoe County was successfully completed, after ballots being transported by canoe got waterlogged and could not be used on election day.
Alleged potential fraud
Meanwhile, the candidates of two opposition political parties have alleged “fraud” is taking place in the ongoing tallying of results from Tuesday’s elections and claim that their deliberate underreporting of their respective votes by NEC, claims NEC is yet to address itself to.
The claims are made in separate press statements issued at the weekend by The campaign teams of presidential candidates Alexander Cummings of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) and the Liberia National Union (LINU) of Dr. Clarence Moniba.
“The Campaign Committee to elect Cummings President of Liberia is alarmed by the reported numbers the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) presidential ticket is said to have received so far,” Lewis Brown, the National Campaign Chairman for Cummings, said in a statement on October 12.
“While we are still assessing the results at this point, it’s important that we flag as a major issue of concern the clear pattern that is emerging across the country,” Brown added. Partisans and supporters of the Collaborating Political Parties from all across the country are informing us of troubling concerns that places where they voted, including in large numbers, are reporting ridiculously low numbers for Cummings. This is also true where CPP down-ballot candidates are projected to win.”
Lloyd Scott, Moniba’s Campaign Chairman claimed that the discrepancies are a deliberate attempt to suppress their candidate’s electoral prospects.
“Ensuring the validity of the vote count, one reflective of the true will of the Liberian people on October 10, remains the primary concern of the ‘A New Liberia’ movement under the candidacy of Moniba and Grace Kpaan,” Scott added. “It is a process to which we remain fully committed and one from which we will not flinch.”
“The Moniba/Kpaan campaign is alerted to serious concerns emanating from the vote counts released so far by the National Elections Commission. Without now issuing a final ruling on the authenticity of these initial results, they do raise serious concerns as polling centers in which our partisans and campaign staff voted in credible numbers, but the report is not reflective of any partisans or supporters voting for our ticket,” the LINU campaign Chairman claimed.
At the same time, both the ruling CDC of President Weah and the main opposition UP of former Vice President Joseph Boakai are claiming to have won last Tuesday’s polls, victory claims pronouncements that NEC the US Embassy in Monrovia and other international partners have warned parties and candidates to refrain from doing.