27 December 2017

LIBERIA MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

NEC releases provisional results today, Source: New DEMOCRAT

Reports say the National Elections Commission (NEC) will today Wednesday release preliminary results of Tuesday’s presidential runoff election, NEC chairman Cllr. Jerome Korkoya told a news conference Tuesday in Monrovia. Korkoya said the exercise to be witnessed by party representatives and international elections observers will be announced as the results come in from the voting centers around the country.

ECC Urges NEC to Probe Pre-marked Ballots, Sources: Daily OBSERVER, New DEMOCRAT, and The INQUIRER

The Elections Coordinating Committee (ECC) says it is concerned about reports on social media of pre-marked ballots in some places and called on the National Elections Commission (NEC) to speedily investigate and ensure that the findings are published.

Oscar Bloh, chairman of the ECC, in the committee’s midday report Tuesday on the runoff election from 475 of 498 polling places – proportionally nationwide – said though the ECC’s observers are yet to report such incidents, it is important for the NEC to rapidly launch an investigation and update the public. Generally, Mr. Bloh said reports from ECC observers indicate that the opening process was peaceful, orderly, and proceeded smoothly across the country. He said the ECC National Information Center is collecting critical incident reports from all deployed observers, “and we will continue to collect and process these reports.”

Mo Ali, the spokesperson for the ruling Unity Party (UP) campaign team, alleged that NEC workers handed voters pre-marked ballots with ‘candidate two’ already marked. “We call on all persons encountering this situation to immediately file a complaint and also demand a new ballot paper. If possible, photograph the pre-marked ballot,” Ali said. According to him, the situation was reported at the Monrovia Vocational Training Center (MVTC) and from other places around the country.

But the NEC said the information coming from Mo Ali is false and malicious. According to the electoral commission, an ink was transferred to the ballot paper while the ballot paper issuer was trying to stamp it.

However, the ballot was marked squarely with a fingerprint in the designated box of ‘candidate two’, causing many to doubt the possibility of it being a mistaken ballot as claimed by the NEC. Read more

8,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses Did Not Vote, Source: Daily OBSERVER

Amid calls from the two political parties in Tuesday’s runoff election for Liberians to vote, as it is one of the most critical ways that an individual can influence government decision-making, not all Liberians responded to the call. Some of those who did not respond belong to the Christian group known as Jehovah’s Witnesses, who believe that as Christians they should remain politically neutral, based on what the Holy Bible teaches about Christian neutrality in politics.

The Daily Observer has reliably gathered that the more than 6,000 baptized Jehovah’s Witnesses in the country and some of their followers (those who have not been baptized but attend services) – about 2,000 of them – did not vote in the national elections.

“We do not lobby, vote for political parties or candidates, run for government office, or participate in any action to change governments,” an elder of a congregation in Monrovia, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Daily Observer in an exclusive interview. “We follow the example of Jesus, who refused to accept political office (John 6:15).” The elder said Jesus also taught his disciples not to be “part of the world” which, he said, means that Christians should not take sides in political issues. Read more

USD10M youth empowerment project kicks off, Source: New DEMOCRAT

The Vice President, Ambassador Joseph Boakai Monday launched a USD10 million youth empowerment program under the Ministry of Youth and Sports, program, Youth Opportunity Project. The program targets 10,000 youths for recruitment and will focus on agriculture activities and involved people between the ages 18 to 35 living in rural communities, according to the New Democrat.

TWP Expels Three Officials, Source: The INQUIRER

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the True Whig Party (TWP) has expelled three of its executives for gross violation of party rules. This decision was reached by a unanimous vote taken at an emergency NEC meeting held at the Edward James Roye Building in central Monrovia on Saturday. Those expelled include Eric Olson, former standard beater, C.T.O. King, former chairman of Montserrado County, and Rev. Adolphus Capehart, former party envoy to the United States. The three expelled officials were found guilty of violating Article XIV of the party’s Rules and Regulations by disseminating wrongful and irresponsible statements to the media against the party and its officials and betraying the party to another institution.

UL Investigates Class Disruption, Source: The INQUIRER

The University of Liberia (UL) says it is investigating the repeated ongoing acts of disturbances and demonstrations at its Fendell Campus situated along the Monrovia–Kakata highway. The UL said this vandalism is being carried out by a small group of students and it has disrupted classes and affected the administering of the mid-term examination. The UL said the rioting students have torn-up exam papers, hurled filthy water at fellow students and professors, and disrupted mid-term exams. The UL said a number of students have been identified as either the ringleaders behind these disturbances or as active participants. Those who have been identified have been invited to appear before the special investigative body, the UL said.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ON LIBERIA

Accept Polls Results, Jonathan Tells Liberians, Source: The Tide

Former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, has met with Liberia’s major presidential candidates, and sued for peace and transparency in the presidential run-off elections, conducted in the country, yesterday. Jonathan, who is co-leading the United States’ National Democratic Institute (NDI) International Elections Observation Mission to the country, made the appeal in Liberia’s capital, Monrovia, yesterday.

The former president spoke during separate meetings with the two contestants in the race – former FIFA World Football Player of the Year, Mr. George Weah, and incumbent Vice President, Joseph Boakai.

His media adviser, Mr. Ikechukwu Eze, said in a statement, that the meetings were held behind closed doors, early yesterday in the country’s capital. While calling for a free and fair process in the Boxing Day polls, he advised the two presidential candidates to accept the result of the elections in the interest of peace and stability in Liberia. Read more

Liberia waits to hear 1st results of runoff election, Sources: AP, Fox News, and VOA News

Liberia's National Elections Commission was expected to begin releasing provisional results Wednesday from the West African nation's presidential runoff. State radio correspondents reported unofficial results overnight indicating that former international soccer star George Weah led in several counties, but election authorities warned the two parties to "stop making premature pronouncements."

This is the first time in more than 70 years the nation founded by freed American slaves will see one democratically elected government hand power to another. Results will be announced progressively, though the elections commission has two weeks to give final results. Read more

Counting underway in Liberia presidential run-off, Sources: Africa News and Vanguard

Vote counting was underway in Liberia on Wednesday following a peaceful run-off election for a new president, pitting former international footballer George Weah against Vice-President Joseph Boakai. Voters were choosing a successor to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who is stepping down after 12 years as Africa’s first elected female head of state. Results of Tuesday’s vote are expected in a few days, in what would be the West African country’s first democratic transition since 1944, according to electoral officials. Read more

Liberia: Model of Democracy In Africa – Jonathan, Sources: Daily Trust, PM News, and Vanguard

Former President Goodluck Jonathan says Liberia is becoming a model of democracy in Africa and beyond, having attained “political stability’’. Jonathan told newsmen in the capital, Monrovia, during Tuesday’s presidential run-off election, that democracy had been institutionalized in Liberia. He spoke in his capacity as co-leader of the United States’ National Democratic Institute (NDI) International Elections Observation Mission to Liberia for the run-off polls.

“Looking at the political history of Liberia, the country has passed through challenges. They conducted elections and the President stayed for the complete two terms and this president is about handing over to another elected president. That shows that Liberia is now politically stable to be a good example of democracy. Democracy is being institutionalized in Liberia. It will help the country because it shows that the country is stable and it will attract foreign direct investors. And for Africa, especially in the West African sub-region, it is a great achievement.’’ The former Nigerian president said the Liberian situation would greatly inspire other African countries on the need to maintain stability. Read more

Disclaimer
This media summary consists of selected local media articles for the information of UN personnel. The public distribution of this media summary is a courtesy service extended by UNMIL on the understanding that the choice of articles included is exclusive, and the contents do not represent anything other than a selection of articles likely to be of interest to a United Nations readership. The inclusion of articles in this summary does not imply endorsement by UNMIL.

 

 

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