Liberia Election on Hold-Supreme Court Orders

The Supreme Court of Liberia has suspended arrangements for next week’s presidential run-off vote between the candidate of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), George Weah, and the candidate of the current ruling Unity Party, Vice President Joseph Boakai until it considers a challenge to the results of the first round of the election, held on October 10, by the losing candidate of the Liberty Party, who alleged fraud. Boakai and Weah received the highest votes in the first round of the election.

28.8 per cent of the votes cast (446,716 votes) were for Boakai, whereas 38.4percent (596,037 votes) were cast for Weah, former footballer. Less than 10 per cent of the votes were cast for the other 18 candidates. The Supreme Court has instructed the National Elections Commission with an order to cease from ‘any and all activities’ towards the second round votes while it deliberates on the Liberty Party’s complaint and until a final decision is reached.

These disputes would definintely disrupt the second-round vote scheduled to hold on November 7 to find a successor to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf; the country’s first democratically elected leader after the civil war.