Liberia: October 10 elections held without incident /update 2

Event

Presidential and legislative elections in Liberia were carried out without major incident on Tuesday, October 10. The National Election Commission (NEC) held a press conference on Tuesday evening saying that there had been no reports of violence, although officials admitted the process had been disorganized with delays reported in getting ballot boxes to polling stations in some areas. Preliminary results are expected to be released on Wednesday. If no presidential candidate receives a majority of votes, a run-off election will take place in early November. Political rallies and related traffic disruptions are possible throughout the electoral period. 

Context

On October 10, voters took to the polls to choose a successor to current President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who took office in 2006 and is completing her second and final term. The elections should mark the first peaceful transition of power between democratically elected Liberian presidents since 1944, a watershed moment in the country's democratic consolidation process that began following the end of the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003.

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.