Monday, October 9, 2023

#LiberiaElections 2023: Get Familiar with the Facts and Figures

 


On Tuesday October 10, Liberians will vote for their next President, House of Representatives, and Senators. In this blog post, we delve into a comprehensive exploration of the facts and figures surrounding these elections, shedding light on the key statistics, voter demographics, and notable historical contexts.

Check out this interesting facts and figures below:

1.     1. Tuesday’s election will be the fourth post-war democratic presidential and legislative elections in Liberia.

2.     2. The country’s Senate consists of 30 members of which only 15 will be voted for (the other 15 is contested three years later according to the electoral law  as well as 73 members in the House of Representatives. All members serve 9-year terms

3.     3. All Liberian citizens over 18 years old who have registered as voters can vote.

4.     4. Voters with disabilities can have someone assist them in marking and casting their ballots, provided the helper is also a registered voter.

5.     5. The campaign period, declared by Liberia's National Elections Commission, is from August 5, 2023, to October 8, 2023.

6.     6. For the first time, the NEC has introduced the 'Biometric Voter Registration' (BVR) exercise to minimize irregularities and double registrations.

7.     7. Although BVR was introduced for registration purposes, voters will use the manual system to cast their votes.

8.     8. 5,890 polling centres will be operational for Tuesday’s vote.

9.     9. The total number of registered voters is 2,471,617.

1010. There are 20 presidential candidates, including two women.

11. 11.  Incumbent President George Weah and former Vice President Joseph Boakai are considered as frontrunners in the 2023 elections.

12.  12. Voting will begin at 8:00 a.m. and conclude at 6:00 p.m. However, voters already in the queue can cast their ballots beyond 6:00 p.m.

13.  13. Three categories of ballot papers will be issued in different colours: Presidential and vice presidential ballots in red, Senatorial ballot in blue, and Representative ballot in green.

14.  14. The Commission is expected to announce or declare results within a maximum of fifteen days after voting. Provisional results will be announced as county reports are received.

15.  15. The presidential ballots will be counted first, followed by the Senate and then the House of Representatives ballot.

16.  16. Only accredited NEC officials, domestic and international observers, accredited party representatives, accredited journalists, and the Liberian National Police (LNP) are allowed to be present during the counting process.

17.  17. A little over 40% of registered voters fall within the age range of 18 to 34

18.  18. Liberia has 15 counties and each county is represented by 2 senators while the 73 members of the house of representatives are elected from single seat constituencies.

19.  19. George Weah won the 2017 elections in the second round, polling 61.5% of the votes against former Vice President Joseph  Boakai who get 38.5% of the votes.

20.  20. In case of electoral disputes, aggrieved parties are required by law to file a complaint with the Elections Commission. If they are not satisfied with the outcome, they shall not later than seven days appeal against it to the Supreme Court.

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