Low voter turnout, peace mark Liberia's presidential run-off poll

27 Décembre 2017

Monrovia, Liberia, December 27 (Infosplusgabon) - Poor voter turnout and peaceful ballot casting marked Liberia’s delayed presidential run-off election Tuesday across the country as polling stations shut down.

The National Elections Commission (NEC) had set the run-off for 7 December, but the Supreme Court halted the polls to probe claims of “widespread irregularities and fraud” made by two parties.

The Court later threw the claims out and mandated the NEC to hold the election at a later date to be set by the commission.

The first round was held 10 October, with ex-football icon George Weah coming first with 596,037 or 38.4 percent and incumbent Vice President Joseph Boakai with 446,716 or 28.8 percent, the two qualifying for the second round.

The NEC had registered 2.1 million voters, but only 1.6 million went to the polls on 10 October.

Voter apathy could be the result of long-drawn legal battles that marred the outcome of the first round on 10 October, which was finally put to rest by the Supreme Court on 7 December.

Reports from correspondents of radio stations around the country spoke of the low but peaceful turnout of voters, with trickling of voters around the 18:00 hour closing time.

Results will be posted at polling centres and then later sent to the NEC headquarters in Monrovia for official announcement.

The winner will replace sitting President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s first elected female president who served two five-year terms and is turning over power.

Reports from around the country also indicated a better organized election compared to the first round that was marred by long queues, identification delays and other irregularities that losing parties harped on to seek legal redress.

Under the law, the NEC has up to two weeks to announce the final results.

FIN/INFOSPLUSGABON/JAU/GABON 2017

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