MONROVIA: It seems that the two rival political parties in Liberia, the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) and opposition Unity Party (UP) are expected to repeat the 2017 showdown in the 2023 Presidential and Legislative elections.
Although, the National Elections Commission (NEC), is tallying majority of votes cast on Tuesday, October 10, but provisional results placed at various polling centers around the country suggest that CDC and UP are maintain g their respective ‘strongholds’.
Preliminary results of the just-ended Tuesday, October 10, 2023 Presidential and Legislative elections has placed incumbent President George Manneh Weah and former Vice President Joseph Nyuma Boakai at a competitive end.
The two forerunners are accumulating votes from their areas of political control, leaving the other eighteen candidates lagging far behind in their thirst for the much-needed votes.
The current trend of the preliminary results of the election as being announced by several media outlets has left political pundits and ordinary citizens on their heels in terms of what to expect as the National Elections Commission (NEC) is poised to release official results in a matter of days.
The former VP, who enjoys a strong political support base in the North-central region, mainly his home of origin, Lofa County, is collecting a significant number of votes from that area.
His (Boakai) campaign slogan coined: as “Rescue Mission” appears to be sinking well with the electorate as the preliminary results puts him in a challenging mood with incumbent President Weah.
Also, Weah who hails from the Southeastern part of the countryside, has benefitted from a similar increased in his Southeastern support, a fare less population as compared to former VP Boakai in Lofa County.
Southeastern voters have continuously given their political support to incumbent President Weah, a move, pundits believe, is propelled by a sense of shared identity and the promise of policies that align closely with their hopes and aspirations.
While both Boakai and Weah enjoy substantial backing in their respective regions, they are also pulling well in vote-rich counties of Nimba and Bong as a result of their respective vice-running mates, whose popularities are deeply entrenched in their respective counties.
Both frontrunners also have an array of local support from prominent politicians and stakeholders who are in the position of making their cases — using tribal loyalty and connections.
As for Montserrado County, which shapes the nation’s political discourse, the votes coming in are tightly contested between the two contenders, with the result flipping in each person’s favor.
Whoever wins Montserrado, which has a voting population of nearly one million, would stand a good chance of topping the first round of voting, but that depends on the margin.
As with other counties outside their strongholds, both Weah and Boakai are also performing well, with results showing that the race in open counties such as Margibi, Grand Bassa, and the Western region.
These open counties would be key to either Weah or Boakai winning the October 10 polls.
If neither of the two frontrunners wins more than 50 percent of the total vote cast in the first round, a run-off will be held on November 7.
The Elections Commission has 15 days from the day the vote is cast to announce the election results. This means that by October 25, the final result of the election would be known, or sooner than that.
Alexander Cummings, a dark horse, is, however, still in the race, even though he faces a tough battle to catch up with the votes coming in for Weah and Boakai.
Ahead of the elections, a survey from Geopoll shows that Liberian voters rate the issues of leadership qualities, experience, policies, tribe, and party affiliation as the most decisive factors that would shape the election’s outcome.
President Weah casts his vote
In 2017, Weah pledged to address poverty, create jobs, build infrastructure, and combat corruption.
However, nearly six years later, he faces allegations of making limited progress in improving the lives of ordinary Liberians, with issues of corruption and mismanagement still prevalent.
The President, who after voting yesterday expressed confidence in winning reelection, has campaigned on his administration’s record, claiming that his development record during the first six years of his presidency outshone his predecessors.
The administration can also boast of not only expanded electricity access but also reduced costs from 38 U.S. cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to an average of 15 cents per kWh, as well as ongoing numerous road construction projects across the country and free tuition for undergraduate students at all public universities, as one of his “many signature achievements.”
However, analysts say that despite some gains by the Weah administration, its failure to significantly fight corruption, which the President had denied, and reduce the growing cases of poverty, makes his reelection difficult but not impossible.
The Weah administration had mentioned the establishment of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission with autonomous powers to prosecute corrupt individuals, which is the first in the country’s history, as the President’s strong commitment to fight corruption, even though three of his close confidants who were sanctioned by the U.S for corruption have never been investigated despite public calls to do so.
Currently, the World Bank estimated that Liberia, which has vast mineral resources but widespread corruption, has more than half of its population of 5.2 million people living in poverty.
“I am very pleased that the process is secure, and everyone is casting their ballots,” Weah stated in remarks after voting yesterday.
“We hope that everyone votes for their choice, and whoever wins, we can live together. I have confidence in the Liberian people. They gave me a six-year mandate, and I have returned to ask for another six. I am here to vote and then go home so they can come and vote too,” he added.
The President’s confidence comes as Boakai, whom he defeated by a wide margin during the run-off election in 2017, then as an opposition candidate, has campaigned as an ordinary, honest man from a modest background who had to work hard to achieve success.
He says integrity has marked his long career, which has included criticism of the Weah administration’s links to several corruption scandals.
Boakai, as part of his vision, which if widely accepted by the electorate would make him a president on his second attempt, has made agriculture a key campaign issue, vowing to increase domestic rice production and to set up three agricultural machinery hubs in the country.
He has also promised to pave the highways connecting country capitals and those connecting Liberia to other countries to improve cross-border trading, as well as establish a specialized court to fast-track cases of corruption and economic crimes and to support the private sector in developing programs.
In remarks after voting yesterday, Boakai briefly urged his supporters to remain peaceful before and after casting their votes.
“Let’s remain peaceful,” said Boakai, who served as Vice President to former President Sirleaf during the Unity Party’s 12 years at the helm.
As of now, both men, who believe they will secure a first-round victory, would have to wait for a few more days as results come in to know where their fates lie, respectively.
