The National Elections Commission declares Independent Candidate Edward Papay Flomo alias ‘Green’ winner of the November 20th by-election in Montserrado County District#13, while the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) Candidate Cllr. Augustine Chie, leads in the Senatorial by-election in Sinoe County, southeast Liberia, respectively.
NEC Chairman Cllr. Jerome George Kokorya in a press briefing on Friday, November 23, announced that Mr. Flomo obtained 5,310 votes, totaling 34.4 percent of the total votes cast in Tuesday’s by-election thus becoming the next Representative for District#13, replacing Saah Joseph, now an elected senator for the county.
“By the power vested in me, and acting on behalf of the Board of Commissioners of the National Elections Commission, and based on the results just announced, I hereby declare Mr. Edward Papay Flomo, Jr., as the winner of Montserrado Dist. #13 Representative By-Election,” Cllr. Kokorya declares.
The NEC boss reported that all of the 89 polling places in Montserrado District #13 have reported and all the results tallied in line with the Commission’s procedures.He details that 15,451 registered voters voted and of that number, 183 votes were invalid.
Chairman Korkoya explains that CDC’s John J. Weah obtained 4,878 or 31.6 percent of the total votes cast, trading behind Edward Flomo, who has now become the official face of the people of District #13 at the House of Representatives.
Eleven other candidates contested in the race, including Cornelia Kruah-Togba, daughter of Posts and Telecommunications Minister Cooper Kruah, who contested on the ticket of the former ruling Unity Party (UP) and Journalist Oneal Robert of Truth FMm as an Independent Candidate.
In the Sinoe County Senatorial by-election Kokoya announces that 135 of the 136 polling places constituting 99. 26 percent have reported and those results have already been tallied.Of the 16,477 total votes cast, Cllr. Chie obtained 5,806, while Romeo Thomas Quiah of the United People’s Party (UPP) obtained 3,568 votes or 32.0 percent. Others are: Morlu Clark Jabba of VOLT, 497 votes or 4.5 percent, and Othello Doe Nagbe of CLP, 2, 980 votes, respectively.
The by-elections in both counties are intended to fill vacant seats created by the election of Montserrado’s District#13 Representative Saah Joseph as Senator, and the appointment of Sinoe County Senator Cllr. Joseph Nagbe to the Supreme Court Bench as Associate Justice, replacing Justice Philip A.Z. Banks, who retired this year.
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By E. J. Nathaniel Daygbor–Editing by Jonathan Browne
