Opposition leader, Ambassador Joseph Nyumah Boakai has maintained a slight lead over incumbent President George Weah. The presidential runoff election was conducted on Tuesday, November 14, 2023.

According to the National Elections Commission, the second batch of provisional results of the presidential runoff came from 86.71 percent of polling stations across the country, the electoral body of Liberia said Thursday in Monrovia. Boakai leads with the total votes of 16,221.

The National Elections Commission (NEC) yesterday disclosed that the Unity Party candidate Boakai has obtained 50.58% of the vote, while President Weah of the Coalition for Democratic Change falls behind with 48.42 percent based on results tallied from 86.71 percent of polling stations.

Boakai and Weah emerged neck-and-neck from the first round of the presidential election but below the 50 percent plus one vote needed to secure an outright victory. Boakai, 78, who lost to Weah in the 2017 election, has campaigned on the need to rescue the nation from what he calls mismanagement by Weah’s administration.

Thursday’s preliminary results which covered 14 of the 15 counties of Liberia excluding Bapolu County in the Western part of Liberia of the just-ended presidential run-off election between incumbent George M. Weah and his main challenger Joseph Nyumah Boakai has revealed that the Unity Party candidate, Ambassador Boakai maintained a slight lead with 712,741 votes constituting 50.58.

Weah who is seeking reelection obtained the total votes of 696,520 votes constituting 48.42 percent of the valid votes cast. The second batch of yesterday’s provisional results came from 5107 of the 5890 polling places across the country constituting 86.71 percent.

According to Liberia’s electoral body, the NEC, provisional results from 5107 of the total 5890 polling places constituting 86.71 percent put the former President above incumbent George Weah who is seeking reelection. More preliminary results are expected in the coming days, according to National Elections Commission (NEC) Chairperson, Davidetta Brown-Lasanah.

Liberia still remains quite following a heavily contested presidential runoff elections where incumbent President George Manneh Weah, of the CDC and former Vice President, Joseph Nyuma Boakai challenged head-to-head following the first round on October 10, 2023, general elections, in which both candidates along with 18 other presidential candidates failed to reach the constitutional 50+1 percent votes cast to secure the presidency.

The National Elections Commission has begun announcing results from the just ended poll on Nov. 14, 2023 with opposition Joseph N Boakai maintaining a slight lead. As of yesterday’s announcement, NEC had received 86.71 percent which is 5107 of 5,890 Polling Places.

The National Elections Commission will today by 4:30 announce additional provisional results. The National Elections Commission yesterday continued with the release of provisional results putting 78 year-old Boakai in a slight lead over incumbent George M. Weah.

The former Liberian Vice President who is up for revenge against Mr. Weah who defeated him in the 2017 Presidential run-off Election, is leading with the difference of 5426 votes. Political observers say Weah could make a comeback in today’s provisional results as he still commands more votes in the Southeastern part of the country.

Unlike October 10 polls, voters queued in lines in anticipation of voting their choosing for President and members to the National Assembly as early as 4:00A. M., Tuesday’s runoff turnout was relatively low at many polling precincts across the country.

The November 14, 2023 Presidential Run-off recorded a low turnout unlike the October 10, 2023 Presidential and Legislative Elections which recorded a massive turnout of Liberian voters.

Many believe that during the October 10, 2023, elections, legislative candidates trucked the electorate to different parts of the country, and because voters are only allowed to vote where they registered, those that were trucked doing the previous elections might not have the resources to return to those places they were trucked to.

As the vote counting continues, supporters of the former ruling party have begun celebrating in the streets of Monrovia in contravention of the election law of the country. Yesterday upon announcing preliminary results of the presidential runoff by the electoral body, thousands of supporters of Ambassador Boakai stormed various streets in Monrovia and its environs in jubilant mood as they sang political slogans and battle cries for their candidate.