NEC orders election rerun in Nimba Dist.#4
--As Weah moves back on top with over 5000 votes
By Lincoln G. Peters
The National Elections Commission (NEC) has announced a presidential rerun at two polling places in Nimba County Electoral District #4 following the theft and destruction of ballot boxes there.
The NEC gave the order Tuesday, 17 October 2023 as incumbent President George Manneh Weah and his archrival Amb. Joseph Nyumah Boakai continue to battle for the presidency in a tight race.
Out of 20 presidential candidates, the NEC announced Tuesday evening that Mr. Weah has obtained 791, 661 votes (43.79%), while opposition Amb. Boakai has obtained 786,205 (43.49%).
As at Tuesday, 17 October, NEC chairperson Madam Davidetta Brown Lansanah said 5,996 polling places out of a total of 5,896 polling places constituting 98.40% had been tallied.
Meanwhile, there have been reports of election irregularities following the 10 October 2023 polls.
Recently, police in Nimba County arrested eight individuals in connection with the theft and destruction of ballot boxes in two polling places in the area.
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The incident occurred on 10 October just after the poll at Beo Lontuo Public School in Electoral District 4.
The seized ballot boxes contained votes cast for the District 17 Representative candidates.
Menwongbay Sahyeedeh, the Election Supervisor for the Beo Lontuo polling places, has, however, been arrested for his alleged involvement in the disappearance of the ballot boxes.
Sahyeedeh’s main crimes, which the police have yet to disclose, come as he stands accused of trying to protect a family member who was involved in the disruption.
The incident in Lontuo has caused confusion in the district, leading to serious tension between supporters of Representative Gunpue Kargon of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change and his main rival, Ernest Mansea of the Movement for Democracy and Reconciliation, which is part of the Unity Party Alliance.
Also, at the Montserrado County Tally Center at the Samuel K. Doe Sport Complex in Paynesville, Outside Monrovia, the magistrate of upper and lower Montserrado ordered the arrest of five polling staffs for electoral malpractices.
Similarly, the NEC boss added that at the Grand Cape Mount Tally Center in Robert Sports, the election magistrate reported that three presiding officers were found to have been involved in electoral malpractices at one precinct which is coded 12035.
According to the NEC boss, investigation into those matters is ongoing and finding will be disclosed to the public as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, incumbent President Weah has secured a slight lead over his main rival, Amb. Boakai of the former ruling Unity Party (UP).
Madam Brown-Lansanah has noted that the total valid votes is one million eight hundred and seven thousand seven hundred and sixty-six constituting 100%.
She said the total invalid vote is one hundred and twelve thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
Additional, NEC chairperson also puts the total votes at one million nine hundred thousand and twenty-six hundred and twenty-five.
