IPNEWS – The Election Coordinating Committee (ECC) is calling on all Liberians to conduct themselves peacefully as was done during the first round of voting.
According to a statement issued by the ECC on Monday, Nov. 13, 1,948,485 Liberians voted in the Presidential and Legislative Elections, which was held on October 10, 2023.
On October 24, 2023, the NEC announced 100.0% of the total votes cast, stating that 5.88% were invalid.
The incumbent, President George Weah, received 804,087 votes constituting 43.83%, and the standard bearer of Unity Party (UP), former Vice President Joseph Boakai received 796,961 votes, constituting 43.44%. With these figures, the NEC declared a Presidential Runoff Election because none of the two candidates who obtained the highest number of votes achieved the legally required 50% plus 1 vote to win outright in the first round.
After the general elections held on October 10, the ECC issued statements denouncing the parties’ acts of disruptions and interference with the tallying process by some members of political parties in Nimba and Montserrado Counties.
Additionally, during the run-off campaign, the ECC documented instances of attacks in Bong, Nimba, and Grand Gedeh counties by political parties’ supporters.
“As such, we implore all political actors to uphold the Farmington River Declaration and preserve the peace. Recently, there have been several threats made against observer groups,” the ECC said.
Despite this harassment and intimidation, the ECC said it will continue to conduct its observations in an impartial and objective manner and release its reports publicly.
The ECC urged the NEC to allow its observers in the field to use their phones as they use their phones to report their observations back to their headquarters.
“Therefore, the NEC and polling officials are encouraged to allow the observers to use their phones while observing the process.”
The ECC hopes that the recently concluded training of NEC polling officials will ensure adherence to reconciliation of the ballots during the counting polling procedures such as correctly sorting a process.
ECC says it is aware of the challenges faced by some poll workers during the first round of the elections and admonishes the NEC to increase supervision and proper conduct of the process.
In preparation for observing this election, the ECC said it trained and deployed 1,738 observers, 1,500 short-term observers, 73 electoral district supervisors, and 19 county coordinators.
The ECC also trained and deployed additional 146 district observers to support supervision and the observation of the tally process at the NEC magisterial offices.
Of the 1,500 short terms, 1,200 are deployed as stationary observers stationed at polling places throughout Election Day, and training 300 short-term observers will be mobile.
The ECC said it will issue two statements on its observation of the run-off election process, including a mid-day situational statement on Election Day and a preliminary statement following Election Day.
“The election day situational statement will highlight observations of the opening and set up of observed polling places.
“The second is a preliminary statement focusing on voting, closing, tabulating which will focus on voting, closing, counting, and tabulation of result to NEC.”
The ECC will deploy observers to observe the tallying process at all magisterial offices across the country to assist the process.
