MONROVIA: In the face of unsubstantiated claims and counter-claims by individuals and groups via social media posts over victory in the just-ended 2020 Special Senatorial Elections (SSE), two representative bye-elections in Montserrado County and Sinoe Counties and the National Referendum, Liberia’s National Elections Commission (NEC), which has the sole legal authority to formally announce the outcome of the December 8, 2020 polls across the country has released the first provisional results, affecting eight counties, with the Opposition Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) candidates toping four of the four counties.
The first “Progressive Tally Reports,” according to the NEC, which represent 15 percent of the total results covered Bong, Grand Bassa, Maryland, Grand Cape Mount, Margibi, Montserrado, Gbarpolu and Nimba counties.
Addressing a news conference Thursday at the National Elections Commission headquarters in Monrovia, NEC chairperson, Madam Davidetta-Brown Lassanah, noted that the Commission will release the results to the public as it unfolds from the NEC’S data center.
According to the NEC Chairperson, in Montserrado County, of the 1,983 polling places, the Commission has released the results from 423 polling places, constituting 21.33 percent.
NEC added that with the total votes of 75,649 cast in Montserrado, incumbent Senator, Abraham Darius Dillon of the Collaborating Political Parties(CPP), accumulated 44, 692 votes, representing 60.8% while his closet rival, Thomas Fallah, of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) collects 26, 697 resulting to 36.3% for the Montserrado Senatorial race.
The NEC results for Grand Cape Mount County indicate that candidate Simeon Boima Taylor of the CPP is leading by 37.2% with 1,333 votes in his favor.
NEC’s preliminary results further indicated that Bong County (central Liberia) with eight Senatorial candidates showed that Collaborating Political Parties Candidate, Prince Kermue Moye, is topping incumbent Senator Henry Willie Yallah of the CDC with 52.6% after accumulating 1,678 votes of the total 3,385 votes cast. Senator Yallah, according to the preliminary result from the National Elections Commission, is in second lead with 37.8% winning 1,206 votes.
The Opposition Collaborating Political Parties Candidate in Grand Bassa County, incumbent Senator Nyonblee Karngar Lawrence who is also the Standard Bearer of the Liberty Party leads with 47.5% over former Foreign Minister and ruling party candidate, Gbehzohngar Milton Findley, who according to NEC, accumulated 44.3% out of the 18, 977 total votes in the Bassa Senatorial race.
However, as four counties preliminarily ‘fall in’ to the opposition collaborating Political Parties, the National Elections Commission progressive tally report is also showing that the Coalition for Democratic Change Candidate in Maryland County, James Pobee Biney, is leading by 36.3% as incumbent Senator, H. Dan Morais who ran as independent candidate sits at second place with 31.8%.
Former House Speaker of the 53rd National Legislature, J. Emmanuel Nuquay, of the People Unification Party (PUP) is ahead of the other candidates contesting the Senatorial seat with 1,504 votes, amounting to 52.0% in Margibi County.
In Nimba County, according to the National Elections Commission, Jeremiah Kpan Kounge, of the National Union for Democratic Progress (NUDP) is in the lead with 38.5% in Nimba, while Edith Gongloe-Weh of the CPP has 18.9%.
NEC mentioned that Paul Kouboi Kennedy of LIN in Gbarpolu has 37.1% making him the leader in the race.
The National Elections Commission result is coming on the heel of violence clashes in Montserrado and Grand Bassa Counties by supporters of two major contenders; as the two sides claimed early victories.
Prior to the announcement of the National Elections Commission Progressive report on Thursday, supporters of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) and the Opposition Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) were seen jubilating as both groups of supporters claim victory for their respective candidates.
While awaiting the final results from the National Elections Commission, incumbent Senator Darius Dillon has unofficially declared himself as the winner of the just ended Montserrado polls.
Speaking at a press conference Thursday at the Liberty Party Headquarters, Senator Dillon warned the country’s electoral body not to temper with the results, not just in Montserrado but counties across the country.
However, NEC chairperson, Davidetta Brown Lassanah, has indicated that the Commission will do all it can to be transparent, free, fair and credible in the performance of its duties.
She set December 15 as the final date for the release of all elections results on the just ended special senatorial polls in the country.
When quizzed on the referendum process, the NEC Boss asserted that the counting of the referendum ballots is still in process.