-As UP supporters celebrate possible victory
BY: Shallon S. Gonlor
NIMBA COUNTY – Scores of jubilant supporters of the opposition Unity Party have taken to various towns, and cities of Nimba County to celebrate ahead of the official pronouncement of their political leader as the winner of the November 14 run-off election, by the National Elections Commission.
Latest results announced by the NEC late Friday evening, put Ambassador Joseph N. Boakai in a comfortable lead; thus making him the presumptive winner of the recent Presidential Election.
Friday’s Results from the NEC say the Unity Party accumulated 814,212 (50.80%) compare to the ruling CDC 785,778 (49.11%) with a margin of 28,434 votes (1.78%)
With the balance 0.42% of the votes yet to be announced by the National Elections Commission, many believe that President Weah hope of retaining power is impossible even if he obtains all the votes.
Should Amb Boakai win the polls, it will be the first time in post war Liberia for a seated government to be voted out after serving just one term.
In 2017, Liberia’s prominent political icon, Amb. Joseph Boakai of Unity Party was defeated by President Weah, with a large margin in the second-round presidential election.
President Weah, first elected in 2017 on promises to develop infrastructure projects and tackle widespread corruption, but critics accused his government of corruption and his failure to keep a promise to improve the lives of the poorest.
With the latest Friday, November 17, 2023, update of the National Elections Commission, more than 99.5 percent of the polling stations reporting vote tallies after Tuesday’s second-round vote, Boakai had secured 50.89 percent of ballots cast, according to the election commission.
Boakai was 28,000 votes ahead of Weah, according to Friday’s figures. The two finished neck-and-neck in the first round last month, with a national lead of just 7,126 votes for Weah.
Following Friday’s results, the President of the Republic, George Weah late Friday night conceded defeat and congratulated Former Vice President Joseph N. Boakai as winner of the 2023 presidential runoff election ahead of the electoral commission official pronouncement in the coming days.
