Eight Political Parties Pull Out

Monday, 17 October 2011 12:08

Written by Alva M. Wolokolie

After the National Elections Commission (NEC) reported results from more than 70% of ballots counted so far from the October 11 presidential and legislative elections, eight opposition parties are crying foul and thus declared the results as “null and void”.

The parties claim that the NEC is counting votes in favor of the ruling Unity Party, but have not provided material evidence to journalists substantiate their complaint.
The aggrieved parties include some having less than 5 per cent of votes, but have joined the CDC of Cllr. Tubman whose party now holds second place after the ruling Unity Party.

They have announced withdrawal of their representatives from the counting process involving the NEC, threatening, “If the process continues we will not accept the results.”

The eight political parties opposing the results have signed and released a press statement containing their decision.

The Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), Grass Roots Democratic Party of Liberia (GRDPL), Liberia Reconstruction Party (LRP) and the Liberia Transformation Party (LTP) are opposing the results.
Others are the National Democratic Coalition (NDC), National Patriotic Party (NPP), Victory for Change Party (VFC) and the Union of Liberian Democrats (ULD).

But this paper has evidence revealing that despite their announcement of withdrawal from the vote counting process, agents of almost all political parties that signed the statement were represent up to midnight Saturday at the tally center at the SKD sports complex.

In their statement read at a press conference here Saturday at the SKD sports complex, the aggrieved opposition parties said the results being announced by NEC are characterized by “flaw”, thus they have declared the entire results “null and void”.

The opposition parties claimed that since the end of elections, opposition leaders “through their observers, county officials and themselves have noticed purposefully hand alterations of results by NEC workers, under-reporting of counts at polling centers for candidates of opposition political parties.

The statement said the aggrieved parties have evidence including pictures, paper evidence and personal experiences by presidential candidates to substantiate their claims.

Dr. Cecelia Manjemgie Ndebe, standard bearer of (LRP), read the statement saying the “flaw began when NEC upon getting the referendum results decided not to do its constitutional duty according to Article 83b, which says to conduct run-off elections for legislative and presidential candidates in two weeks of reporting initial results.”

The statement also blamed the NEC for “colluding with the Unity Party and the Supreme Court, and overturned the results of proposition number four upholding the 50% plus 1 absolute majority for simple majority with the intent of rigging the presidential elections results thus avoiding a run-off election all together.”