Following the end of an outstanding peaceful and violence free elections, most of the newspapers this morning, carry stories containing unofficial preliminary results gathered across the country and the prediction of a possible run-off.
Presented by Shout-Africa.com/Liberia Coordinator – Following the end of an outstanding peaceful and violence free elections, most of the newspapers this morning, carry stories containing unofficial preliminary results gathered across the country and the prediction of a possible run-off.
The Analyst this morning is asking the question, UP Leads, CDC Trails, Where Will Vital PYJ Stand In Imminent Run-off?
Following over a month of campaign across the country b y political contestants and parties, the electorates on Tuesday walked to the polls to register their verdicts. Unofficial reports have been coming in, principally from journalist and media organizations that covered the vote casting process. The last results released by the media monitoring group, the Liberia
Media Center, before bedtime yesterday put the ruling party ahead of fifteen other political parties with over 156,000 of votes counted.
UP Leads, CDC Follows in Overall Unofficial Results So Far says the New Democrat. The paper writes that, the ruling Unity Party of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, is so far leading in the presidential race as per the preliminary unofficial results posted by poll workers at various polling centers all around the country.Up to 7pm yesterday, of the total votes counted, the Unity Party led with 149,601 (about 44.77%) while the Congress for Democratic Change followed with 123,786 votes (about 37%).
FrontPage Africa reports that, preliminary results following the end of the October 11, 2011 elections have put the governing Unity Party ahead of its main rival, Congress for Democratic Change. In a story headlined, Elections Heat, the paper writes that, reports from across the country have placed Johnson Sirleaf ahead in Lofa, Grand Cape Mount, Gbarpolu, River Gee and Margibi Counties. The incumbent leader is however behind Nimba County Senior Senator Prince Johnson, who won in Nimba. Liberia National Elections Commission has said it will release the first official results Thursday, but that final results are not expected until October 26.
The News also seeks to find, Who Will Prince Johnson Endorse…In 2nd Round, Ellen or Tubman? According to the paper, there are indications that presidential candidate Senator Prince Johnson of the opposition National Union for Democratic Progress, could have a significant influence over the second round of the elections provided his supporters would also go along with him should he decide to endorse either one of the expected two candidates in the presidential run-off election.
Incumbent President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of the ruling Unity Party and Winston Tubman of the Congress for Democratic Change are expected to go for a run-off in November.
With initial results expected to be announced today after the counting of some votes in Tuesday’s second presidential elections since a 14 year civil war ended in 2003, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, appears to be facing a tough challenge with many observers predicting a run-off her with her main challenger, Winston Tubman. In this Daily Observer story, Do We See a Run-off? The paper reports that, as of 9:45pm yesterday, provisional results from the Elections Reporting Center of the Liberia Media Center show that President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s Unity Party led the poll with 44.1% of a total of 356,305 votes counted so far. The Congress for Democratic Change trailed with 37.18% votes while Prince Johnson took the third position with 11.65% of the votes.
New Democrat reports that, PYJ Set to Accept Results and Ready to Promote Peace. Nimba County Senior Senator, Prince Johnson, who ran as the candidate on the ticket of his National Union for Democratic Progress (NUDP), Wednesday declared he would accept any result from the presidential and legislative election held on Tuesday. In his first reaction to the elections, Sen. Johnson, who is emerging third according to unofficial results reported by local radio stations, emphasized that he will accept any results from the elections.
Liberians Turnout En masse to Vote, the Informer reports and according to the paper, hundreds of thousands of Liberians on Tuesday, October 11, 2011 turned out to vote in the country’s first back to back elections in at least three decades, showing a strong sense of patriotism. Voters across the country began pouring in at polling stations as early as 5am, and waited patiently to vote three hours later.
‘Stuffed’ Ballot Papers Impossible, NEC refutes Prince Johnson’s Allegation. The Insight reports that, the National Elections Commission has reacted sharply to an allegation by the political leader of the National Union for Democratic Progress Senator, Prince Johnson, of the uncovering of ballot boxes with marked ballot papers in favour of the Unity Party. At a news conference on Monday, the Chairman of the NEC, James Fromayan, branded the Senator’s claim as a total ‘falsehood and further lacks substance’.
We end today’s review with a story from the In Profile Daily. The paper in a story headlined, Too Close writes that, as the National Elections Commission continues with the counting of ballots across the country, political observers and poll watchers says the race is too close to call considering the margins between the ruling Unity Party and main rival Congress for Democratic Change, with the UP having a slight lead in a continuous count as monitored by the Liberia Media Center.
This daily news review was compiled by African Elections Project (AEP) Media Monitoring Center at LMC, Monvrovia, Liberia.
