Liberia's National Elections Commission is in the process of finalizing the results of the recent presidential and legislative elections, which took place on Tuesday. Ballot boxes have been transported to the NEC's Data Centre for electronic tabulation of the results.
Isaac Zahn, the director of the center, explained, "So yesterday, elections were conducted. Counting went on, and those results were pasted on the wall. Copies of those results are then brought to the tally center and entered into the results tally software. Before we do that, we make photocopies, and we give them to all the observers and party agents present."
This election marks the first since the conclusion of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Liberia in 2018. Despite some pre-election clashes, both local and regional election observers have noted that the polling process was peaceful, with a high voter turnout.
Davidetta Browne-Lansanah, the president of the NEC, emphasized, "Only when the National Elections Commission announces a result can those results be considered official."
Football legend George Weah is seeking a second term in office but needs to secure more than 50 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff. Some analysts believe he will likely face a second round against his main rival from the 2017 election, Joseph Boakai.
While George Weah remains popular, his six years in office have been marred by corruption allegations and ongoing economic challenges. Boakai's campaign has focused on promises to address what he perceives as Weah's leadership failures.
Approximately 2.4 million people were eligible to vote in these elections. Liberia is still on the path to recovery from the devastating civil wars that claimed over 250,000 lives between 1989 and 2003.
The election commission is expected to announce the initial results later on Wednesday, with the final results to be confirmed within 15 days.