The National Elections Commission admits to challenges faced in Tuesday’s (October 10, 2023) polls when canoe transporting some of its staff to hard-to-reach counties in southeast Liberia capsized with electoral materials, preventing hundreds, if not thousands of overenthusiastic citizens from casting their ballots.
The NEC promises to reschedule elections in the affected districts to enable citizens to exercise the franchise.
Besides lack of accessibility to many parts of the southeast Tuesday, delays in delivering materials at polling centers and slow performance by poll workers contributed to long queues at many polling places in Montserrado and other counties.
Among others, voters in parts of Grand Bassa, River Cess, Sinoe, and Grand Kru counties specifically didn’t have an opportunity to cast their ballots on Tuesday because polling materials could not reach them due to poor accessibility.
In Grand Bassa County District #5 for instance, where voters had gathered as early as 5. am, many of the polling centers were as at 6 pm yet to open as electorates awaited the arrival of NEC staff and voting materials.
A canoe carrying NEC staff and election materials from Zardobo, a village in Grand Bassa District #5 to parts of Rivercess County capsized early Tuesday. Though the poll workers were rescued, the materials were never recovered.
A heavy downpour of rain which began on Saturday, left most of the election materials and NEC workers stuck in the mud.
In Sinoe, voting was reported to have taken place only in Greenville, while other cities, towns and villages were yet to receive voting materials.
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NEC at its regular press briefing Tuesday, confirmed the situation and said they will extend voting in the affected areas.
“Members of the press, the Commission also reports that while voting is progressing well generally across the country, there are a couple of noteworthy challenges, specifically in the South Eastern counties of Sinoe and Rivercess.
Due to the heavy downpour of rain for the past five days, the Planson River in Sinoe County, which is located on the outskirt of Greenville overflowed its banks and crossed the main road leading to most of the centers in District two of Sinoe County. All efforts by the NEC staff to cross the river from both sides have proven futile so far. This has affected the conduct of polls in at least 11 precincts in District two, Sinoe County. Also, the truck carrying election materials to
District One in Sinoe County got stuck in the mud in the Butaw area due to heavy rain and bad road. The Election Magistrate arranged a fleet of motorcycles to convey the materials last night, the 9th of October, but were also challenged due to bad road leading to late start of polls in that area. Due to the situation, the Commission will extend the voting time in those areas.
In River Cess County, the Timbo River overflowed its banks and the NEC vehicles with election materials were unable to cross at the time. When the water receded, the vehicles carrying election materials arrived late at their destinations, leading to the late start of the polls in those areas. Some of the precincts in River Cess District one, Morweh, opened as late as 11:00 a.m. Voting is continuing in the district,” the NEC chair said.
In Maryland County, a scuffle reportedly ensued when some NEC staff attempted transferring ballot boxes from Pleebo to Harper City for counting after polls closed, but it was vehemently resisted.
This paper gathered that voting is expected to be extended in those areas beyond Tuesday.
Over 2 million registered voters across the country went to the poll in Presidential and General Elections, the third since Liberia transitioned from civil war to peace and democratic governance.
The polls went generally peaceful despite spates of violence that characterized campaigns in Nimba, Lofa and Montserrado counties that preceded Election Day.
Meanwhile, the Chairperson of the National Elections Commission Daviedetta Browne Lansanah says the Commission will announce preliminary results beginning today, Wednesday, 11 October at 4:30 pm that continue throughout the 15-day period provided for by law within which final results the 10 October 2023 Elections shall be released.
Madam Browne Lasanah explains that the daily press briefings are to inform Liberians and other stakeholders that all preparatory activities are on course for the election.
Electoral materials were deployed to all 19 magisterial areas in the 15 counties of Liberia, including 5,890 polling places within 2,080 precincts.
A total of Two Million, Four Hundred Seventy-one Thousand, Six Hundred and Seventeen (2,471,617) citizens registered for the 2023 elections. Story by Jonathan Browne
