2 weeks Ago By Selma Lomax
NIMBA COUNTY – Preliminary results posted by polling staff of the National Elections Commission (NEC) show a closely contested senatorial by-election in Nimba County, with Samuel Kogar of the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR) taking a significant lead over independent candidate Edith Gongloe-Weh.By Selma Lomax selma.lomax@frontpageafricaonline.
comThe by-election, held to fill the seat left vacant by the late Senator Prince Yormie Johnson, was marked by low voter turnout, despite more than 307,000 registered voters in the county. Election observers noted sparse activity at many polling centers throughout the day.Vice President Jeremiah Koung, after casting his vote in Ganta, described the turnout as typical for a by-election, stating, “You should expect that the turnout will be low because this is not an election where we are voting for a president, senator, and representative all at once.
” He urged citizens to remain peaceful throughout the process.Independent candidate Edith Gongloe-Weh stressed the need for transparency in the electoral process, stating, “We must remain vigilant. This process belongs to the people, and it must be transparent and fair.
”Preliminary voting results indicate an ethnic pattern in the distribution of support. Gongloe-Weh, a Mano, appears to be leading in Mano-dominated areas such as Ganta and Sanniquellie (Districts One and Two), while Kogar, a Gio, is reportedly dominating in Gio-majority districts.At George Dunbar Public School in District One, Gongloe-Weh received 170 votes to Kogar’s 32.
Additional tallies from District One’s Tongiaywin Public School show Gongloe-Weh leading at several polling places. At Polling Place One, Gongloe-Weh obtained 123 votes while Kogar received 60. At Polling Place Two, Gongloe-Weh received 111 votes and Kogar secured 43.
At Polling Place Four, Gongloe-Weh had 168 votes against Kogar’s 58. Another result from Polling Place One showed Gongloe-Weh with 117 votes to Kogar’s 70, and at Polling Place Four again, Gongloe-Weh recorded 117 votes while Kogar got 74.However, Kogar is dominating in his strongholds, including Buehlay in District Five, where he received 117 votes to Gongloe-Weh’s four.
In District Seven’s Kpaytua Public School, Kogar secured 145 of 185 valid votes, while Gongloe-Weh managed only eight.Other contenders, including former Representative Garrison Yealue and Mark Gblinwon of the Citizens Movement for Change (CMC), are trailing. Yealue has shown limited strength in certain Gio-majority regions.
Amid the ongoing tally, the Citizens Movement for Change has officially conceded defeat. In a statement released Monday, CMC Political Leader Musa Hassan Bility acknowledged Kogar’s “unassailable lead” and congratulated both him and the Unity Party alliance on a “well-fought victory.”“While we hoped the people would have made a different choice, we fully respect their democratic right to choose,” Bility said, while also commending the NEC for conducting a credible process.
Bility added that the CMC remains committed to its broader mission and called the campaign a moral victory despite competing against what he called two powerful political coalitions.Security remains high at all 736 polling places as final results are still being tallied. The official declaration from the NEC is expected in the coming days.
The post Liberia: Candidates Brace for Crucial Nimba By-Election Results as Race Emerges Between Sam Kogar and Edith Gongloe-Weh appeared first on FrontPageAfrica..
