The National Elections Commission of Liberia is in the process of wrapping up the tallying of results from the presidential and legislative elections held on Tuesday.
Liberia’s NEC Set to Release Provisional Results
Ballot boxes have been transported to the NEC’s Data Center, where officials will use electronic means to calculate the outcomes.
“So yesterday, elections were conducted. Counting went on and those results were pasted on the wall,” said Isaac Zahn, director of the centre.
Copies of those results are then brought to the tally centre and entered into the results tally software. Before we do that, we make photocopies. We give to all the observers and party agents present.”
This election marked the initial one following the conclusion of the United Nations’ peacekeeping mission in Liberia in 2018. Despite some pre-election clashes, local and regional election observers report that the polling process was peaceful, with a significant voter turnout.
“Only when the National Elections Commission announces a result can those results be the actual results,” said NEC president, Davidetta Browne-Lansanah.
George Weah, the renowned football icon, aims to secure a second term in office but must obtain more than 50 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff election.
Nonetheless, according to some analysts, he is expected to face a runoff against his primary opponent from the 2017 election, Joseph Boakai.
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Despite Weah’s significant popularity as a soccer star, his six-year tenure in office has been tarnished by accusations of corruption and persistent economic difficulties. Boakai’s campaign centers on pledges to rescue Liberia from what he perceives as Weah’s unsuccessful leadership.
Approximately 2.4 million individuals had the eligibility to cast their votes in the elections. The nation is grappling with the aftermath of two civil conflicts that claimed the lives of more than 250,000 people from 1989 to 2003.
The election commission was anticipated to reveal the initial results on Wednesday, with the final results scheduled to be disclosed within 15 days.
