Weah Confronted

MONROVIA – A caravan of political rivals nearly clashed at Tubman High School polling station in Sinkor yesterday when Unity Party (UP) supporters accused Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) leader, George Weah, of distributing scratch cards to his party supporters and for allegedly campaigning after having cast his vote at Kendejah in the Montserrado County senatorial run-off election.

Weah’s action drew an immediate and sharp reaction from National Elections Commission (NEC) Chairman, James Fromoyan.

Weah had no reason, Fromoyan said, to visit polling stations without the NEC’s accreditation card.

Campaigning for the senatorial seat officially ended at midnight Tuesday; but the UP supporters of senatorial aspirant, Clemenceau Urey, raised the alarm that by touring various polling stations, Weah was carrying out campaign activity on behalf of his candidate, Geraldine Doe-Sherif, and in violation of election laws.

Early results from yesterday’s senatorial run-off election for Montserrado County placed Sherif of the opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) in a narrow lead over her rival, Urey, of the ruling UP. However, tallies from various polling stations outside Monrovia showed results that were too close to call.

In an interview with journalists on the campus of Tubman High yesterday, Weah said he had cast his ballot earlier in the day at Kendejah in Paynesville, outside Monrovia, but that after he voted at Kendeja, he had decided to visit other polling stations to monitor the electoral process.

However, the CDC standard bearer did not have any accreditation that would have permitted him enter any other polling station besides the one in Kendeja where he had voted.

Weah said upon his arrival at the polling station on the Tubman High School campus, he was informed by some CDC poll agents that they were in need of recharge cards, so he decided to purchase some recharge cards and distribute them among CDC poll agents.

He then also tried to enter the polling station on the campus of G.W. Gibson High School on Capitol Bypass but was prevented by the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) military personnel.

His presence on the G. W. Gibson campus, which drew a huge crowd, prompted the Political Officer for the Unity Party’s youth wing, Zenutana Sumo, to confront Weah, accusing him of campaigning on election day. But Weah responded that Sumo did not know what he was talking about.

Weah’s action, Sumo said, was in violation of the election guidelines set by the NEC. The UP youth wing official insisted that Weah was covertly campaigning during the voting period for the by-election run-off at the polling center.

The by-election run-off yesterday was, however, once again marked by very low turnout of the electorate at various polling precincts in Montserrado County. There were many factors that were said to have contributed to the repeat of poor turn-out at the polls.

According to one observer, many potential voters instead of voting, opted to visit health centers to take yellow fever vaccine being administered by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

Another factor was that many eligible voters refused to participate in the by-election run-off after their respective candidates had been defeated in the first round.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf declared yesterday, November 24, 2009, a holiday in Montserrado County and ordered all business and other offices be closed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

But despite the presidential proclamation, several stores were seen open yesterday, and commercial activities were being carried out in some parts of the county.

However, our reporters, who visited several polling centers in Montserrado observed that the polling process went on smoothly without any impediment.

The polling centers opened at about 8 a.m. and closed at 6 p.m. yesterday as scheduled by the NEC. There were voter education and awareness campaigns on the run-off election by NEC, in collaboration with its partners.

At the ELWA Junction market, some police officers from the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) of the Liberian National Police (LNP) were seen dispersing a crowd of marketers, as a way of enforcing the holiday declared by the President on Monday, November 23, 2009 in order for them (marketers) to participate in the voting exercise.