IPNEWS: The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Leonardo Santos Simão, has called upon political actors in Liberia to uphold their commitment to peaceful elections under the Farmington River Declaration.
Representative Leonardo Santos Simão, urged all candidates to be patient and let the Electoral Commission conduct the electoral process in full compliance with the Constitution and laws in force in Liberia and to resolve any dispute through the established legal channels.
Representative Simão in a statement issued late Saturday, October 14, also urges the National Elections Commission to pursue the tallying process in the same spirit of professionalism and transparency.
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Leonardo Santos Simão, statement followed his visit to Liberia from 9 to 12 October to monitor conduct of the 10 October general elections.
The UN envoy further congratulates the Liberian people for the peaceful and transparent conduct of the general election of 10 October 2023, and commended the National Elections Commission and the security forces for their professionalism in the conduct of the elections.
Furthermore, Mr. Simão acknowledges the significant mobilization of enthusiastic and patriotic young men and women on polling day and calls for the continued engagement of the youth and women in political processes in Liberia, especially as counting and tallying of the results continues.
“I invite Liberians to continue in their efforts to consolidate democracy through credible, inclusive, and peaceful electoral processes in the country.” Mr. Leonardo Santos Simão statement concludes.
Latest tally results announced late Saturday, October 14, puts the Coalition for Democratic Change of President George Manneh Weah has obtained over 13,000: exactly 13,722 votes more than the Unity Party of former Vice President Joseph Nyuma Boakai. This is an increment from a little over 9,000 votes of Friday’s announcement. This makes the President to be in the lead by 1.48%.
The NEC announced that from the total of 2,471, 617 Liberians who had registered to vote in the October 10, 2023, elections, the Unity Party has so far managed to secure the votes of 402,139; while President Weah has cupped 415,859. All of this, according to the NEC, is 49.8% constituting 2,933 of 5,890 polling places in all 15 political subdivisions of Liberia.
The Commission still has up to the 25th of October to finish announcing the names of winners in the Legislative aspect of the elections and or announcing a run-off in the Presidential aspect of the elections if none of the 20 presidential candidates gets 50+1 percent of the valid votes.
Nineteen men and one woman had put their names fourth to be elected President of Liberia. Of this number, it is becoming clear by the day that President Weah, who is seeking a second six-year term, is being heavily challenged by the former President, who served as VP for 12 years under former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
Boakai had led the race for the first two days of the beginning of the counting, but on Friday, his lead was overtaken by Weah. Most of Weah’s votes that have so far catapulted him to the lead position had come from his very stronghold of Liberia’s Southeastern Region, which had always overwhelmingly voted him since he burst into the Liberian political limelight.
The NEC on Saturday provided partial results from all of Liberia’s 15 subdivisions. From the 15, Boakai is leading in seven, while Weah is in the lead in eight.
Breakdown per county
Bomi County from 109 of 171 polling places, Joseph Nyuma Boakai obtained 15,791 votes, constituting 51.42% while Weah and his Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) got 11,810 votes, constituting 38.45%.
In Bong County, Boakai’s UP got 26741, which constitutes 42.58% and CDC got 26,675 which is 42.47%.in Lofa County, Boakai’s UP obtained 54,887, constituting 54.79% while Weah got 28,660 constituting 28.61%. In Grand Cape Mount County, from 40 polling places of 213 polling places, Unity Party obtained 6,772, constituting 54.16% and Pres. Weah bagged 4517, 36.12%. In Montserrado County, which is macrocosm of the nation, CDC has so far obtained 189,402, 48.65%, while the UP got 172,506, 44.31%.
In vote-rich Nimba County, which has reported 309 of 736 polling places, UP has obtained 69, 361, 56.41%, while CDC got 26,340, 21.42%. In Sinoe County which has reported from 52 polling places of 152, the UP has gotten 1572, 10.94%, CDC, 11,239, 78.24%. In River Gee, CDC got 14,411, 70.05% while UP obtained 3,578, 17.39%.
While in Gbarpolu County, UP obtained 12,813, 44.65% and CDC 11,996, 41.81%. In Grand Bassa, CDC got 19,890, 42.67%, while UP got 18,217, 39.08%; in Grand Gedeh, CDC took 18,864, 78.03% and UP obtained 2,439 10.13%. For Grand Kru, which is Weah’s home county, CDC got 13,986, 81.35%, while UP took 1123, 6.53%. In Margibi, UP got 8,069, 47.25%, while CDC has 6,939, 40.63%. In another Southeastern County, Maryland, Weah got 21339, 73.18% while UP obtained 3782, 12.97% and in Rivercess, which is another Southeastern County, CDC obtained 9827, 58.63%, UP 4486, 26.77%.
