The National Elections Commission (NEC) is today expected to certificate incumbent President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, her vice presidential running mate, Joseph Nyumah Boakai, 15 Senators elect and 73 Representatives elect for winning the 2011 Presidential and Legislative Elections. It can be recalled that 1,288,716 (one million two hundred and eighty-eight thousand seven hundred and sixteen) registered voters went to the polls on October 11, 2011, to elect their national leaders in an election process that was internationally acclaimed.
Following the first round of the elections, the NEC announced 88 individuals as winners of the legislative component of the elections based on the simple majority law enshrined in the Liberian Constitution. But the NEC later called for a presidential run-off election in the case of the presidential race.
The presidential run-off election was between the ruling Unity Party (UP) and the main opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC). The UP and CDC accumulated the highest votes amongst the 16 political parties that contested the presidency of Liberia. However, the CDC later announced a boycott of the polls over allegations of electoral fraud during the October 11, 2011 presidential and legislative elections. However, the CDC's electoral fraud claims were categorically rejected by the NEC on grounds that the electoral body called lack of evidence. The U.S., EU, AU, ECOWAS and other international electoral observatory groupings have since rated the October 11, 2011 presidential and legislative elections free, fair, transparent and credible.
The presidential run-off election was triggered by the failure of any of the 16 presidential candidates who participated in the October 11 presidential and legislative elections to win an absolute majority (50% plus 1) of the total valid votes cast as enshrined in the Liberian Constitution. According to the Constitution, which is regarded as the organic law of the country, if no candidate obtains an absolute majority (50% plus 1) of the total votes cast in the presidential race, then a run-off is necessary. According to the final results announced by the National Elections Commission (NEC), the UP obtained a total of 530,020 or 43.9% of the total valid votes cast, while the CDC obtained a total of 394,370 or 32.7% of the total valid votes cast.
In the case of the presidential run-off election, the final results announced by the NEC showed that incumbent Johnson-Sirleaf and the ruling Unity Party (UP) obtained 607, 618 votes, which amount to 90.7% of the total votes cast in the presidential run-off election, the UP's contender the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) of Cllr. Winston Tubman acquired 62,202 votes, which account for 9.3% of the total vote cast.
Based upon the final results, NEC through its acting chair, Elizabeth Nelson, announced on November 15, 2011, that it would today, November 28, 2011, officially certificate winners of the 2011 Presidential and Legislative Elections in the conference hall of the Commission.
The National Elections Commission (NEC) on Tuesday officially declared President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and her running mate Joseph Boakai winners of the November 8, 2011 runoff Presidential election.
Though the poll was highly boycotted by officials and supporters of the main opposition Congress for Democratic Change...
Monrovia: November 15th, 2011; with the run-off elections laid to rest and a new page on reconciliation been opened, a few of the papers have carried stories in elections and its related events. We start with the story, CDC Reacts To Run-Off Results..
