Mont. By-elections Was Slow, But…

The heavy downpour of rain almost evaded electorates from going to cast their votes which began the process on a rather slow pace.
In spite of it, the process leading to the casting of votes during the by-elections in Montserrado County at the various precinct centers around Monrovia was observed to have been relatively peaceful, there were sprouted commotions in few areas noticeably Districts #s 4, 5, 6 and 8 of Montserrado County.
There commotions and confusions were in some of the polling centers thereby resulting to some delays at those precinct places.
At the Broluco Christian School System in ELWA, Kpelle Town Community in District #6, Montserrado County, an incident which claimed the attention of the polling staff was that a lady believed to be in her late 60’s was said to have been denied initially at two of the rooms, but was later accepted to vote after the authorities of the National Elections Commission rectified her name.
According to one of the Polling Officers, the lady’s name was misspelled but the code on her voting card corrected that error and the PO admitted that, that was one of the situations they have been observed since the process started during the early hours of yesterday.
Few young men were also denied exit of the voting halls for what the NEC staff termed as failure to follow instruction by allegedly using their mobile phones to take the photographs of their voting results and this would have sprouted to a serious commotion yesterday at the Broluco Christian School System in ELWA Community, PYJ Educational Foundation on the Waver Avenue and the Mount Carmel School on the GSA had it not been for the intervention of the polling staffs and officers of the Liberia National Police.
It all started when those young men who were alleged to have taken the photographs of their ballot papers were requested to turnover their mobile phone but refused.
Also at the Nathan E. Gibson high school in in District #4, over 40 person from both Poling Place 05 and 04 where seen lambasting at the NEC staff on grounds that their names cannot be found on the Final Registration Roll (FRR), which they said is unbelievable.
Speaking to this paper, Cephas Elvis said that he was denied from exercising his constitutional right to vote the candidate of his choice by NEC staff on grounds his name is not on the FRR and asserted that his name is on the NEC website and has voted three times at that same area therefore he said is frustrating and inacceptable.
Another situation was later seen at the New Jerusalem on the Jallah Town Road in District # 8 where an observer of the four collaborating parties said he did see a worker of the NEC, Oscar Farphen on the University of Liberia main campus in Monrovia discussing with District #8 Representative Moses Gray in his vehicle.
He added that upon his request for a complain form, he was denied by the Presiding Officer (PO), but was later given to him to file his complain and there was no police around.
When contacted the ES, Leon Buttul of the New Jerusalem Center admitted to the allegation but later told this paper that the situation was put under control and action was taken which led to the removal of Oscar Farphen from his post and sent home adding that the decision was agreed by the aggrieved party and has been resolved.