The National Elections Commission (NEC) carried out a symbolic burning of all unwanted electoral materials, including ballot papers from the 2023 General Elections.
The exercise, led by the Commission’s Co-Chairperson, Cllr. P. Teplah Reeves, took place in Bensonville City, where the NEC’s Magisterial Office for Upper Montserrado is situated. Thursday’s ceremony aligns with constitutional requirements and allows the Commission to clear its warehouses to make space for receiving materials for the ongoing by-election in Nimba County.
Accompanying the Co-Chairperson during the burning of the unwanted electoral materials were Commissioners Boakai A Dukuly, Barsee Leo Kpangbai Chairperson of the Steering Committee for the Nimba By-election and Josephine Kou Gaye. Also present were NEC Magistrate for Upper Montserrado County James Kolubah Govergo Cordor, police and fire service officers, a representative of the Montserrado Superintendent, among others, who witnessed the ceremony.
In the 2023 Liberian elections, both the presidential and legislative contests brought significant political changes. The presidential election advanced to a run-off on November 14, 2023, between incumbent President George Weah of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) and opposition leader Joseph Boakai of the Unity Party (UP). Boakai emerged victorious with 814,481 votes, amounting to 50.64% of the total, while Weah secured 793,914 votes, or 49.36%. Voter turnout stood at 66.12%, with 1,634,183 ballots cast. Boakai, who had previously served as vice president from 2006 to 2018, selected Jeremiah Koung, a senator from Nimba County and leader of the Movement for Reconstruction and Democracy, as his running mate.
In the House of Representatives election, which featured 73 seats, the CDC won 25 seats, while independent candidates secured 18. The Unity Party claimed 10 seats, while the Collaborative Political Parties (CPP) took 6. The Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR) obtained 4 seats, the People’s Unification Party (PUP) won 2, and the Movement for Progressive Change (MPC), the All Liberian Party (ALP), the National Democratic Coalition (NDC), the Liberian Restoration Party (LRP), the Voluntary Outreach for Liberia Transformation (VOLT), and the Liberian National Union (LINU) each won 1 seat. The strong showing of independent candidates highlighted the diverse political landscape.
In the Senate elections, 14 of the 30 seats were contested. Both the CDC and independent candidates won 6 seats each, while the Unity Party and the Liberian Restoration Party secured 1 seat each. These results reshaped Liberia’s political environment, introducing new dynamics in both the executive and legislative branches.
