Liberia: Nimba, Montserrado Tally Centers Attacked by ‘CDC Partisans’

The Elections Coordinating Committee (ECC) has accused Garrison Yealue, Chairperson of the Governance Commission, of involvement in the attack on the National Elections Commission (NEC) tallying center in Nimba County. 

Yealue is also the Deputy Campaign Manager for the reelection campaign for President George Weah. 

The ECC, the country's largest non-political election observation group, noted in a statement on October 14 that Yealue and his supporters arrived at the Magisterial Office with seven vehicles, claiming to file a complaint at the NEC’s Upper Nimba Magisterial office, and causing commotion and disrupting the vote tallying process.

 "This led to the suspension of the process for several hours during the day, which compelled national and international observers to leave the center," the ECC said. 

"[We] view these incidents as deliberate attempts to interfere with the tallying process, undermine the credibility of the election results, and compromise the integrity of the outcome,” the Group said. “We want to remind all political actors of the potential US Government Visa Sanctions for those who interfere with the election process.”

The ECC also alleged that supporters of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) launched a similar attack on the tallying center at the Samuel Kayon Doe (SKD) Sports Complex in Paynesville. 

The ECC also said that the tallying process at the SKD Sports Complex was disrupted by alleged CDC supporters, putting the lives of observers at risk. 

In September, Yealue was appointed as Deputy Campaign Manager of the Weah-Taylor 2023 reelection campaign by President Weah himself, in glaring violation of the act that created the Governance Commission and the National Code of Conduct for Public Officials. 

Upon receiving his new partisan mandate, Yealue vowed to campaign for President Weah’s re-election. His appointment contravenes Section 5.3.4 of the Governance Commission Act, which states that commissioners must maintain a non-partisan stance to prevent the commission’s agenda and processes from being influenced by political biases. 

The appointments also violate Section 5.1.3 of the Code of Conduct for Public Officials, which explicitly prohibits public officials from engaging in political activities while in office. 

Last week, the European Union Elections Observer Mission (EU EOM) accused President Weah of being in gross violation of campaign finance laws. This includes the illegal use of government assets, including government financial, vehicles, and personnel assets, for partisan functions.

The National Civil Society Council of Liberia (NCSCL) has also condemned the disruptions of tallying centers in Sanniquellie, Nimba County, and at the Samuel Kanyon Doe (SKD) Sports Complex in Paynesville, outside Monrovia by "some supporters of the ruling party." The NCSCL, the apex body for all civil society organizations in Liberia, blamed Yealue for the Nimba incident, who, under the pretense of filing a complaint, had gone there with supporters who disrupted the tallying process for hours on October 10.

As for the SKD Sports Complex saga, the NCSCL said the tallying process was abruptly disrupted allegedly by supporters of the ruling party. The disruption lasted for three hours (7 pm-10 pm), and the scale of "the interference placed the lives of the observers and election’s data at risk," the council said in a statement. 

"[The] Council is deeply saddened by the recent disruptions of tallying processes in both Nimba and Montserrado Counties. As the lead voice of the civil society, we will not remain quietly seated to allow anyone to disrupt our peace and democracy," the Council statement said.

"Based on the two incidents, the notes that actions do not only instill fears in Liberians but also have the potential to undermine the transparency of the electoral process, which was conducted freely by the National Elections Commission (NEC)," it added.

The Chairperson of NEC, Davidetta Browne Lansanah, during a daily press briefing on October 13, reported that some political party agents had disrupted activities at a voting precinct in Nimba and the Montserrado tally center, causing several hours of delay in the vote-counting process. Lansanah, however, did not disclose the names of the individuals or the political parties they represented.

"As the tally process continues, the commission continues to face challenges with the actions of some representatives of political parties and candidates who intermittently disrupt the process whenever they disagree on any issue," Lansanah said on Oct. 13.

Tallying is a part of the electoral process and begins after the Tamper-Evident Envelopes (TEEs) arrive at the Commission's magisterial offices from voting precincts with the presence of agents from political parties and candidates.

Electoral magistrates are responsible for organizing the tally in their respective magisterial areas. The magistrate will monitor the tally to ensure that proper procedures are followed at all times.

Meanwhile, the ECC also commends the NEC for its transparency in the tallying process but calls for the speeding of the results and providing cumulative percentages acquired by each political party each day. 

"ECC commends the National Elections Commission for the level of transparency in tallying the election results thus far, and this adds value to the credibility of the outcome," the release said. "The ECC urges the NEC to scale up the announcement of results and to pronounce cumulative percentages acquired by each political party of the total valid votes that are announced each day."

 The ECC, however, failed to detail whether there is any risk posed by the slow announcement of the results.