President George Weah of Liberia and his contender, Joseph Boakai are still deadlocked with nearly all ballots counted, indicating a runoff election is imminent.
According to preliminary data, President Weah presently has 43.8% of the vote, ñwhile Boakai has 43.5%.
To be proclaimed the victor, a candidate must receive more than 50% of the vote.
After ballots were counted in over 98% of polling places, the election commission revealed the most recent results, which gave Mr. Weah a narrow lead of 5,456 votes.
Due to ballot tampering by unidentified individuals, the commission announced that several areas of Sinoe, Nimba, and Montserrado counties will have their elections redone on Friday.
Since every vote counts in a run-off, the two front-runners will probably try to win the support of the 18 other presidential candidates who did not receive more than 3% of the vote in the first round.
Read also: Liberia: Election runoff in sight as Weah, Boakai go neck-and-neck
In the interim, both candidates and their respective political parties are gearing up for an intense campaign, which would be very short, as the runoff election is expected to take place on November 14.
According to BBC, In 2017, the president defeated Boakai in a run-off poll, winning 61.5% to 38.5%.
In the initial round of that election, he received the most votes (38.4% to Mr. Boakai’s 28.8%), indicating that Mr. Boakai performed better in the previous week’s survey.
The AFP news agency was informed by analyst Abdullah Kiatamba that the winner of the first round will have more momentum.
In the administration of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, he held the position of vice president. Sirleaf was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to restore peace and stability to Liberia after a bloody civil war that claimed an estimated 250,000 lives.
Using the slogan “Rescue” to campaign, he contended that during Weah’s first six years in government, the West African state declined.
President Weah, 57, has refuted Mr. Boakai’s accusations, asserting that he has accomplished great things, such as providing free tuition for college students.
