Liberia: Runoff election set for December 26 /update 12

Event

The National Elections Commission (NEC) announced on Tuesday, December 12, that the presidential runoff election will be held on Tuesday, December 26. Liberians will vote between former soccer player George Weah (Coalition for Democratic Change party) and Vice President Joseph Boakai (ruling Unity Party). According to Jerome Korkoya, the chairman of the NEC, campaigning can start immediately but must end on Sunday, December 24. Political rallies, protests, and related traffic disruptions are likely leading up to the vote.

Context

On December 7, the Liberian Supreme Court ruled that alleged first-round voting violations did not amount to fraud or necessitate an election re-run. The first round of elections was held on October 10 to choose a successor to current President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who has served two complete terms as president and is scheduled to step down from office on January 18. The vote was held without incident. As none of the candidates secured more than 50 percent of the votes in the first round, Weah and Boakai were initially set to face off in the second round of voting on November 7.

However, while international observers did not report any major problems with the October 10 election, reports of alleged irregularities (e.g. late opening of polls, allegations of fraud, etc.) quickly emerged. The Liberty Party first filed a formal complaint with the NEC on October 23. On October 30, the ruling Unity Party joined the Liberty Party and the All Liberian Party in filing a complaint with the NEC, demanding that the October 10 vote be annulled. The second round of the election was suspended until further notice to allow the electoral commission to investigate the claims of fraud. On November 20, the NEC ruled that there was insufficient evidence of electoral fraud or irregularities to grant a rerun of the first-round vote, but did not immediately announce a new date for the second-round vote.

Advice

Individuals present in Liberia are advised to monitor local news and to avoid any political rallies or protests, as violence may flare up without warning.