Monrovia — The counting of ballot papers got underway immediately after the closure of polls on Tuesday in what can generally be described as peaceful elections, despite some challenges and irregularities that marred the process at some voting precincts across the country.
Citizens across the nation are filled with anticipation as they await the announcement of their next President or the possibility of President George Weah securing another six-year term. But it would not be until at most 14 days before knowing the next President or whether there would be a run-off election.
Twenty presidential candidates participated in the elections.
The election began with a huge turnout on Tuesday, as many voters began lining up at their respective polling places as early as 5:00 a.m., even though polling was scheduled to commence at 8:00 a.m.
Some polling places remained open after the statutory closing time, 6pm, to allow voters who were already in long queues exercise their franchise.
After casting his vote on Tuesday, Pres. Weah who traditionally wears white African suites during elections after casting his ballot assured Liberians that the process would have been peaceful. He also expressed his fondness of seeing Liberians taking part in the democratic process. "It is the Liberian people's election, and they will decide who becomes their president," Pres. Weah said.
His main rival, former Vice President Joseph Boakai, who voted at the Catherine McGuire Catholic School in the Rehab community did not speak to the press after casting his vote.
The 78-year-old previously served as vice president under former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and was defeated by Pres. Weah in the 2017 elections. There were reports that he did not have the support of Madam Sirleaf at the time, despite being her vice president for 12 years.
For the Alexander Cummings of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP), he believes he is going to make it to the run-off election, should there be one. He, however, affirmed his commitment to accept the election results that will reflect the will of his fellow Liberians.
"I am very sure that we will make the runoff. I am very confident that there will be a runoff, and we will be one of the two candidates in the runoff," Cummings said right after he cast his ballot.
NEC Admit To Challenges
At the first post-polls press conference, the Chairperson of the National Elections Commission (NEC), Madam Davidetta Browne-Lansannah told journalists that most polling places opened promptly at 8:00 am, despite a rough start caused by the overwhelming enthusiasm of Liberian citizens eager to cast their ballots.
However, the NEC chairperson also highlighted some notable challenges, particularly in the South Eastern counties of Sinoe and Rivercess. In Sinoe County, heavy rainfall over the past five days resulted in the Planson River overflowing its banks, cutting off access to many polling centers in District two. She said, despite efforts by NEC staff, the river crossings remained impassable, affecting polling in at least 11 precincts.
Additionally, a truck carrying election materials to District One in Sinoe County became stuck in the mud due to bad road conditions, causing a late start to polling in that area. In response to these difficulties, the Commission announced an extension of voting hours in the affected regions.
River Cess County faced a similar situation, with the Timbo River overflowing its banks and delaying the arrival of NEC vehicles carrying election materials. Some precincts in River Cess District One did not open until as late as 11:00 am, but voting is now underway in those areas.
At a polling place in Montserrado County District 3, there were concerns about shortage of ink for the marking of people who had cast their votes.
The scarcity of ink had the potential of leading to irregularities in the election, as numerous voters were casting their ballots without the customary ink marking on their fingers.
In Margibi County, Lawrence Nuquay, son of Margibi County Senator Emmanuel Nuquay, was arrested by the Liberia National Police after it was reported by the EU Observer Mission that he was seen distributing money to electorates and requesting them to vote for Dorothy Barcolleh, a Representative Candidate for District #3 in Margibi County. This act is considered a form of campaigning and is in violation of election laws.
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Taking The Elections Seriously
The European Union (EU) Chief Observer, Andreas Schieder, who has been in Liberia since the end of August told FrontPageAfrica on Tuesday that as EU observers, they take Liberia's electoral process very seriously.
Speaking at the University of Liberia (UL) polling site, Mr. Schieder, accompanied by his Deputy Chief Observer Jarek Domanski and two other observers, mentioned that there are 100 EU Observers deployed throughout the country, with 20 teams of observers working alongside the African Union (AU) and ECOWAS.
"We have our observers in 14 counties, and we have seen 38 polling stations where we have at least two observers at each. We observed the opening in 38 cases and witnessed a regular electoral process so far, with minor delays in some places while most are on schedule. We have also noted a high level of participation in areas where we are deployed. Generally, we can say that things are working well so far," he said.
