Unity Party Joseph Nyuma Boakai Leads CDC Pres. Weah in NEC Preliminary Elections Results
By: Lazota Bility:
Liberia-October 11, 2023: The National Elections Commission (NEC) has released its first Preliminary results from 16 out of 5890 polling places across Liberia. Those preliminary reports were captured from Bomi and Montserrado counties.
NEC disclosed that out of 4,126 votes from 13 polling places in Bomi County, the Unity Party candidate Joseph Boakai obtained 2,543 votes, constituting 64.1 percent of the votes, while President George Weah of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) received 1,134 votes, amounting to 28.54%.
The votes from the 13 polling stations in Bomi County represented 7% of the 171 polling places in the county.
In Montserrado County, out of a total of 1,243 votes from three polling centers, UP Boakai received 576 votes, which accounts for 47.56%, while President George Weah of CDC obtained 547 votes, totaling 45.17 percent. According to the National Elections Commission (NEC), these Montserrado votes are from just three polling places out of a total of 2,008 polling centers, making up only 0.5%.
These early figures suggest that Joseph Boakai of the opposition Unity Party is currently leading the race. Despite the limited data, both the Unity Party and the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) are asserting their claims to victory, setting the stage for a closely contested election.
Trailing behind the two frontrunners are Edward Appleton with 92 votes (82 from Bomi and 10 from Montserrado) and Alexander Cummings of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) with 71 votes (32 from Bomi and 39 from Montserrado).
Meanwhile, NEC Chairperson Madam Davidetta Browne Lassana however clarified that the challenges of the commission did not overturn the gains of a successful elections. She noted that eventhough electoral materials arrived late at few of the precincts in district # 1 of Rivercess County due to the flooding of the Timbo Rivers, however elections were successfully conducted in all precincts in Rivercess County on October 10, 2023, except one precinct with Code 36007 comprising one (1) polling place in suakon Debah Town, due to the late arrival of Elections Materials.
Meanwhile the NEC boss has confirmed that elections did not take place in Togbaville in Electoral District three Sinoe County due to bad roads. She further stated that the damage materials will be replaced for the conduct of the elections in the affected areas within one week.
“Additionally, due to inaccessibility and lack of mobile network coverage, there has so far been no information from five precincts which include Saygbeken , Jokoken , Gpateken, Kajaliken and Ducorfree as to whether elections were conducted in these places , once it becomes possible to reach those areas the Commission will inform Stakeholders on the conduct of the Election in those places”, Madam Davidetta Brown-Lassanah noted.
However, the National Elections Commission ( NEC) has assured Liberians that all is being done to complete the election in the affected areas in the coming days , stating the Tally process begun on October 11, 2023 in some of the magisterial offices in the presence of Candidate agents and independent observers
“The tallied results from magisterial offices are being progressively transmitted to the Data center at NEC Headquarters where they are being collated for announcement”.
She at the same time called on Liberians to be patient and wait till the final Elections Results are announced.
” I want to acknowledge all Liberians for turning up in their numbers in other to exercise their Constitutional rights as a Citizens , and also for being very Peaceful during the entire voting process”, Madam Brown-Lassanah made the statement at the National Elections Commission head office in Tubman boulevard in Sinkor 9th Street during the commission’s First announcement of preliminary results from the October 10 polls.
