Ghana's ex-president Mahama arrives for Liberia's presidential run-off poll

25 Décembre 2017

Monrovia, Liberia, December 25 (Infosplusgabon) - Ghana's immediate past President, John Dramani Mahama, has arrived in Monrovia at the head of an Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Election Observation Mission for Liberia's presidential run-off on 26 December.

ECOWAS sources told  on Sunday that Mahama was received by ECOWAS and ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC) officials. Also on hand to welcome him was the ECOWAS Special Representative to Liberia, Babatunde Ajisomo.

ECOWAS has sent a 25-member ECOWAS Short-Term Observation Mission, headed by former president Mahama, to observe Liberia's delayed presidential run-off.

The Ghanaian Statesman led a 71-member combined team of ECOWAS Long-Term and Short-Term Observers for the 10  October presidential and legislative first round elections, which were inconclusive, producing two front-runners - former World footballer George Weah of the Coalition Democratic Congress (CDC), and out-going Vice President Joseph Boakai of the ruling Unity Party (UP), according to a statement on Friday by ECOWAS.

The run-off was to have taken place on 7 November, but was delayed because of the petition filed by one of the losing parties, the Liberty Party (LP), which claimed there were irregularities and fraud in the first round balloting. The case was escalated to the Supreme Court, which ordered the National Elections Commission (NEC), Liberia, to address the complaints by the LP.

The 25 ECOWAS Short-Term Observers, including secretariat staff of the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC), will be deployed to Liberia’s administrative Counties to follow the electoral process before, during the Election Day, and the post-election period.

Liberia, which has endured more than a decade of a devastating civil war, has an estimated population of 4.5 million with 2.18 million registered voters. The first round balloting was held in 2,080 Polling Precincts (Centres) with 5,390 Polling Places (Stations) nationwide.

FIN/INFOSPLUSGABON/IYT/GABON 2017

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