-As Elections Commission Now Released More Than 3 Quarters of Results
IPNEWS: The National Elections Commission’s (NEC) second day of releasing preliminary results from the Presidential Runoff Election, has maintained the lead of the opposition Unity Party whose standard bearer is the former Vice President of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
Mr. Joseph Nyuma Boakai has now widen his narrow lead from Wednesday following the Tuesday, November 14, 2023 Presidential Runoff Election.
According to the NEC, the former Veep has so far gotten 712,741 votes, constituting 50.58% of the total valid votes cast in the runoff election. The NEC says President George Manneh Weah, who is fighting to maintain his position, has so far obtained 696,520 votes, constituting 49.42%.
These results are coming from 5,107 polling places of the total of 5,890 polling places, nationally. The percentage for the 5,107 polling places is 86.71. The NEC still has 783 polling places to announce.
In its announcement on Wednesday, November 15, the NEC said the former Vice President had obtained 712,741 constituting 50.58%, while the incumbent President, George Manneh Weah, got 696,520 constituting 49.42%. The difference in votes between both men is 16,221.
The thing about the runoff result is simple majority. While the percentage is important to look at, but one doesn’t need to focus on it when one wants to know who has won. One needs to look at the number of votes that either of the two candidates has got or is getting as the tally goes on. In this case, both Weah and Boakai may end up getting the same percentage in the end but the person with the most votes will be declared the President of Liberia.
Of that number of polling places counted so far, the total votes cast in those places as released by the NEC are 1,431,388, and this constitutes 57.91%.
Out of Liberia’s 15 political subdivisions and from the number of polling places announced so far, Boakai has managed to get his lead in some of the populated counties, including Lofa (75,373 votes, constituting 64.60%). In this county, which is Boakai’s stronghold, he leads Weah with more than 34,000 votes. Another county that is giving Boakai more votes is Montserrado (299,098, constituting 51.37%). Though the former Vice President still leads this county, which is the microcosm of the larger Liberian society, it is, however, still very tight as Weah has gotten 283,174 votes, constituting 48.16%. The NEC has released election results from 1,801 polling places of the total of 2,008 polling places in the county. Historically, the incumbent doesn’t rely on this county to win any national election as it has always gone the way of the opposition. Another county that Boakai is wining bigly at the moment is Nimba (109,694 votes, constituting 71.57%). So far, the votes difference in favor of Boakai is 66,130; while the NEC still has 156 polling places in the county to call. One county that gave the former Vice President more votes on Wednesday was Gbarpolu. However, the Chairperson of the NEC, Madam Davidetta Browne Lansanah and her co of Commissioners didn’t give any results from that county today. “You noticed that we have not read Gbarpolu, and that is because the results just came in as we were walking in [to the hall] so we will read Gbarpolu tomorrow,” Chairperson Lansanah disclosed.
One region that the President seems to be winning bigly is the Southeastern Region, which contains five counties but having very small voting population and whose total numbers can’t make any significant difference when for example Nimba alone decides to give more than 90 percent of its votes to Boakai. In the entire Southeast, 114 polling places are yet to be called while Nimba and Lofa Counties, which have given Boakai more numbers so far, have 158 polling places left to be announced.
The Runoff Election came about when none of the 20 individuals, who had vied for the Presidency could not obtain 50 percent plus one vote as required by Liberia’s Constitution.
After Madam Davidetta Browne Lansanah had announced the final results of the first round of the elections, which was held on October 10, 2023, she said the Constitution says that if none of those taking part in a national presidential election, got 50 percent+1, then the first two with the highest numbers of votes will square off in a runoff in order to determine the next president.
Twenty individuals, including 19 men and a woman, had wrestled for Liberians’ votes to be their next leader. Weah, who is the incumbent had obtained 804,087, constituting 43.83%; while Boakai obtained 796,961, constituting 43.44%. Even though Weah got 7,126 votes more than his rival, he still didn’t qualify to be declared the next president of Liberia. The percentage margin between both men is 0.39.
The NEC Chairperson based her reliance on Article 83B of the Liberian Constitution: “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 runoff election.”
According to the NEC, of the 2,471,617 Liberians, who had registered to vote in the elections, 1,949,155 (78.86%) participated. It is yet unclear how many Liberians voted in the Runoff Election as results are still being tallied.
