By Bill W. Cooper
More oppositions might surface in the Legislature as the National Election Commission (NEC) has announced nine counties winners with only one of said candidates emerging from the ruling party.
On Sunday, the NEC announced that contested candidate, James Biney, of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) emerged as winner of the senatorial seat in Maryland County in the just ended Special Senatorial Election.
With four more polling precincts to be tallied in electoral district # 9 Representative by-election, another candidate of the ruling party, Frank Saah Foko continues to lead with 34.15 percent ahead of the CPP’s candidate, Fubbi Henries with 33.24 percent.
Incumbent Representative Zoe Emmanuel Pennue has been in a stable lead since the start of the counting with 7, 923 votes constituting 40.78 percent ahead of his major contender, the Liberia Restoration Party’s candidate Thomas Yaya who has 5, 702 votes constituting 29.35 percent.
At a public school in Grand Gedeh County electoral district # 3, some 430 registered voters failed to participate in the process due to instructions from their tribal leaders that the ballot papers received did not have the county’s name on them.
If all goes well, the 430 electorates are expected to go to the polls today to cast their votes for one of the nine candidates inclusive of two females who are contesting the senatorial seat and of the 174 polling places set up in that county; only 167 have been announced by the NEC constituting 95.98 percent.
With 736 polling places counted and completed out of the 741 polling places, the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR) a party that formed marriage with the ruling CDC in the senatorial election has bagged 37, 598 votes while the CPP has 33, 670 of the total number of votes cast and announced so far.
Incumbent Representative of district # in Nimba County, Jeremiah Koung’s votes announced so far accumulates to 36.21 percent while CPP’s Edith Gongloe-Weh has a percentage of 32.42 representing 33, 670 of the votes from the polling places announced so far.
Nimba County again is another contending county that is expected to carry on resumption of its electoral process today due to challenges in several polling centers including at the Tappita Memorial School where two of the NEC temporary staffers took away the ballot boxes though still containing the original seal to undisclosed vicinity for what they termed as for ‘safe-keeping.’
In District # 2 in upper Nimba about 706 electorates could not cast their votes while also in District # 2 in lower Nimba some 290 voters did not do same due to the lack of the NEC workers; a process that might delay the tallying of votes in the county.
While in Sinoe County, CDC’s candidate Augustine Chea leads comfortably with 7, 247 votes constituting 43. 40 percent with independent candidate Romeo Quioh’s 4, 949 votes and CPP candidate Grace Scotland’s 4,147 votes bring them neck to neck with just 4.8 percent in difference, the NEC has announced the completion of 97.37 percent of the polling places in that county.
Amidst the early euphoria by the CDcians in almost every county on day one of the counting, the results that have begun filtering into the public seem not an impressive victory for the ruling establishment to maintain their mood.
Meanwhile, four out of the nine counties cleared so far as senators-elect are Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence of Grand Bassa County; Simeon Taylor of Grand Cape County; Jonathan S. BoyCharles of River Gee County and Prince Moye of Bong County representing the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP).
With the remaining 1.71 percent representing 100 percent of the valid votes cast, Abraham Darius Dillon’s major contender Thomas Fallah on yesterday conceded defeat, something cross-sections of citizens are beginning to explained as anger vote not only in Montserrado but nation-wide because of the government’s failure to deliver inspite of no promise made to them during the elections that brought the CDC to power.
Aside from the CPP’s candidates, other non-political parties’ candidates were Wellington Geevon Smith of Rivercess; Edwin Melvin Snowe of Bomi as well as the People’s Unification Party’s candidate Emmanuel Nuquay of Margibi County who are also winners.
In Gbarpolu County of the 96.53 percent polling places announced, the CDC’s candidate, incumbent Representative Alfred Koiwood thrills behind independent candidate Botoe Kanneh who remains ahead with 4, 722 votes against his 4, 273 votes representing 25. 68 percent.
The NEC had disclosed that the outstanding 2, 021 individuals are expected to be voting on today in the four polling places in district # 3 of Gbarpolu County that was challenged due to the seizure of ballot boxes at that precinct by the town chief.
As it stand, the ruling party’s candidate Koiwood’s current votes represent 23.24 percent from the 139 polling places counted so far.
The embattled candidate put forth by the CPP in Lofa County, J. Brownie Samukai, former Defense Minister, is said to be in an impressive lead with 90.97 percent of the polling places announced so far.
Samukai has captured 17, 377 which constitutes 30.01 percent of the 100 valid votes cast so far while the next in line could be independent candidate Joseph K. Jallah who has obtained 13, 805 votes.
The CDC candidate, incumbent senator George Tengbeh has 5, 880 votes; this could mean that with the remaining 41 polling places or precincts, the ruling party has no hope of securing a seat in the Senate for Lofa County with Tengbeh at 10. 15 percent.
As for the Representative by-election for district #2 in Sinoe County, the Rainbow Alliance candidate Othello Nagbe with 1, 683 votes representing 23.69 percent is being narrowly chased by the CDC candidate Sampson Wiah with 1, 661 votes cumulating to 23.38 percent.
There are 49 of the 53 polling places announced so far constituting 92.45 percent in that district created vacant by the death of Jay Nagbe Sloh; however, the counting and announcing of winners continue today.