Provisional results are trickling in from polling centres across Liberia
following Tuesday’s peaceful general elections in the West African country, the
News Agency o
f Nigeria (NAN) reports.
Results are expected from 5,390 polling units in 2,080 centres across the
15 counties that make up the country.
It is not clear yet how many people participated out of the 2.1 million
voters registered for the election, but media reports said turnout was high.
A NAN correspondent in Monrovia reports that polling stations in and
around the capital were packed with eager voters, including the aged, many of
whom queued up before dawn.
Voting started on schedule in the 19 polling centres visited by NAN, but
there were reports of late arrivals of materials in some rural areas due to bad
roads and poor weather.
NAN observed that voting was a bit disorganised in some polling stations
in Monrovia as many voters had difficulties locating their voting points.
Many, who had spent hours on a particular queue, were directed to other
voting points when it was their turn to vote, leaving them frustrated.
The National Elections Commission (NEC) of Liberia said the exercise was
generally successful, but some political parties have expressed reservations
about the process.
The parties that expressed reservations included the Coalition for
Democratic Change (CDC), whose presidential candidate is ex-football star
George Weah.
Also raising an eyebrow is the Alternative National Congress (ANC)
represented in the presidential elections by former Coca-Cola executive,
Alexander Cummings.
Local media quoted Mr. Cummings as saying that he was informed of voting
hitches in several places that prevented Liberians from exercising their
franchise.
He said in some counties, ballot papers arrived after 3 p.m. and many
voters with valid voter cards were turned away for many reasons including their
names not being on the voter register.
Speaking to reporters while monitoring the elections on Tuesday, John
Mahama, the head of the ECOWAS Elections Observation Mission to Liberia, said
there were some lapses mainly on the part of electoral officials.
Mr. Mahama, who toured polling stations in several counties, attributed
the situation partly to late training of presiding and electoral officers.
But he lauded the National Elections Commission and the presiding
officers for conducting the process peacefully and urged it to learn from the
mistakes.
The chairman of NEC, Jerome Korkoya, admitted the flaws while addressing
a press conference at the commission’s headquarters in Monrovia on Tuesday.
Mr. Korkoya said, “One of the issues was caused by voters joining the
queue without consulting the queue controller, and going straight to a polling
place without checking if they are in the right place in the polling precinct.
“Affected voters assumed that because they registered in a particular
room in a centre, so they went to that particular room during voting.
“In many cases, your name will not be in there but in another room
because the precinct where you registered will be spread out into various
centres during elections, and your name may be in one of the centres within
that precinct.
“A second issue was in cases where a voter is registered twice. These
individuals are registered at the last place of registration in line with our
policy. You will not be at the original place.’’
On voters not finding their names on the register, the NEC chairman said
any one legitimately registered with the commission, who had a valid voter card
and was not disqualified should be allowed to vote.
He said affected voters would be compensated with more time, and advised
other aggrieved parties to file their complaints to the commission for a
redress.
NAN reports that 20 candidates are in the race to succeed the incumbent
president and Nobel Prize winner, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who has served out her
two terms of six years each.
Among the contenders is the incumbent Vice President Joseph Boakai of the
ruling Unity Party.
Elected for the first time in 2005, Ms. Johnson-Sirleaf inherited a
country that was devastated by 14 years of civil war.
She is lauded for restoring order and sustaining peace in the country in
her 12 years in office.
(NAN)
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