08 Dec 2017 | 01:11 AM UTC
Liberia: Electoral runoff to proceed after Supreme Court ruling Dec. 7 /update 11
Second-round runoff elections will take place in Liberia after Supreme Court ruling December 7; protests possible
Event
On Thursday, 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 Supreme Court also said that preparations for a second-round runoff vote between former soccer player George Weah (Coalition for Democratic Change party) and Vice President Joseph Boakai (ruling Unity Party) should commence. No date has yet been selected for the second-round vote.
Political rallies, protests, and related traffic disruptions are likely in the coming days and weeks following the Supreme Court's ruling and in the lead-up to the second-round vote.
Context
On October 10, voters took to the polls 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 National Electoral Commission (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 announce a 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.
