2015 Liberian by-elections

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The 2015 Liberian by-elections were held on April 21 and December 29 in Rivercess-2 and Lofa-2 respectively. The Rivercess by-election was caused by the election of a member of the House of Representatives to the Senate. The Lofa by-election was caused by the death of a member of the House. The opposition Movement for Progressive Change candidate Byron Zahnwea was elected in Rivercess, and independent candidate Julie Fatorma Wiah was elected in Lofa.

Contents

Background

Rivercess County

A Senate election was held on December 20, 2014. Francis Paye successfully ran on the National Democratic Coalition (NDC) ticket to represent Rivercess County in the Senate. Paye was a sitting member of the House, representing Rivercess County's 2nd district, and resigned to fill his Senate seat. [1] [2] On January 22, 2015, the speaker of the House sent a notification of the resultant vacancy in the chamber to the National Elections Commission (NEC). The election was scheduled to take place on April 21. [3]

On March 10, the NEC released a provisional list of 10 candidates for the by-election. On March 25, all 10 candidates were certified. The candidates were as follows: Charles Bartee of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), G. Thomas Doue of the Alternative National Congress (ANC), Jerry Floh Greene of the ruling Unity Party (UP), Gabriel Paul of the National Patriotic Party (NPP), Jerome Garmonblo Reeves of the Union of Liberian Democrats (ULD), Matthew Wally of the Liberty Party (LP), Lucky T. K. Wesseh of the NDC, Kofi Bob Zah of the People's Unification Party (PUP), Byron Zahnwea of the Movement for Progressive Change (MPC), and independent candidate Hilary Flomo Mentoe. [3]

From April 10 to 11, LP national leader Charles Brumskine, along with other notable LP leaders, held a notable, large campaign event for Wally in Cestos. FrontPage Africa reported that Wally seemed to be a forerunner for the Rivercess by-election, while also noting that Zanhwea had a notable following in the district. [4] Official campaigning activities for the by-election ended on April 19. [3]

On April 15, the NEC announced that ballots for the election had arrived on April 13. The NEC also reported that they had received no complaints of misbehavior by any of the candidates. There were 26 international observers accredited to observe the by-election. [3]

Lofa County

Fofi Sahr Baimba, who represented Lofa County's 2nd House district, died on September 13, 2015. [5] Baimba was a member of the ruling UP. [6] The NEC was notified of the resultant vacancy in the House of Representatives on October 6. On October 19, the NEC announced the election was scheduled to be held on December 29. [7]

The deadline to nominate candidates for the by-election was November 6. [7] The NEC qualified ten candidates for the by-election, with a list being published on November 23. [8] The list of candidates were as follows: Thomas N. Brima Jr. of the Liberia National Union (LINU), Jasper Tamba Saiiah Chowoe of the LP, Molsema Mamara of the CDC, Amara Kaifa Kanneh of the Alliance for Peace and Democracy (APD), Fombah K. Kanneh of the All Liberia Coalition Party (ALCOP), Augustine Boakai Lansana of the UP, Julia F. Russell of the All Liberian Party (ALP), Moses Armah Saah of the ANC, and independent candidates Vaforay A. M. Kamara and Julie Fatorma Wiah. [9] The official campaign for the by-election started on November 23 and ended on December 27. [8]

Aftermath

Rivercess County

The by-election in Rivercess's 2nd House district was held on April 21 as planned. [10] According to the United Nations Mission in Liberia, the by-election was "conducted peacefully". [11] Tallied results were released on April 22, with final results to be released on April 24. [12] On April 24, the MPC's Byron Zahnwea was declared the winner of the election by the NEC. [13] LP nominee Matthew Wally was in second place. [12] Zahnwea was certificated by the NEC on May 6. [14]

Lofa County

The by-election in Lofa County's 2nd House district was held on December 29. The final results of the election were announced on December 31, with independent Julie Fatorma Wiah as the winner. She was certificated by the NEC on January 2, 2016. [9]

Results

The following results for the Rivercess by-election incorporate tallied results released by the NEC on April 22, 2015, as well reporting by FrontPage Africa of an event held by the NEC on April 24. [12] [13] The Lofa by-elections results are from the NEC. [9]

In the Rivercess County by-election the voter turnout was about 42%, with a total 6,722 votes cast out of 16,003 registered voters. [13] In the Lofa County by-election, there was a voter turnout of around 32.64%, with a total 10,207 votes cast out of 31,273 registered voters. [9]

2015 Rivercess County's 2nd House District By-election
CandidatePartyVotes%
Byron Zahnwea Movement for Progressive Change 1,58324.65
Matthew Wally Liberty Party 1,46822.86
Hilary Flomo Mentoe Independent 80812.58
Kofi Bob Zah People's Unification Party 79012.30
Charles Bartee Congress for Democratic Change 64610.06
G. Thomas M. Doue Alternative National Congress 5438.46
Lucky T. K. Wesseh National Democratic Coalition 3154.91
Jerome Garmonblo Reeves Union of Liberian Democrats 1221.90
Jerry Floh Greene Unity Party 991.54
Gabriel Paul National Patriotic Party 480.75
Total6,422100.00
Valid votes6,42295.54
Invalid/blank votes3004.46
Total votes6,722100.00
MPC gain from NDC
2015 Lofa County's 2nd House District By-election
CandidatePartyVotes%
Julie Fatorma Wiah Independent 1,97420.11
Augustine Boakai Lansana Unity Party 1,66416.95
Molsema Mamara Congress for Democratic Change 1,57316.02
Vaforay A. M. Kamara Independent 1,52215.51
Jasper Tamba Saiiah Chowoe Liberty Party 8168.31
Julia F. Russell All Liberian Party 6706.83
Thomas N. Brima Jr. Liberia National Union 4754.84
Amara Kaifa KannehAlliance for Peace and Democracy4334.41
Moses Armah Saah Alternative National Congress 4334.41
Fombah K. Kanneh All Liberia Coalition Party 2562.61
Total9,816100.00
Valid votes9,81696.17
Invalid/blank votes3913.83
Total votes10,207100.00
Independent gain from UP

References

  1. ↑ "NEC to conduct by election in 90 days". The New Dawn Liberia. January 27, 2015. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  2. ↑ "2014 Special Senatorial Election". National Elections Commission. 2014. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "NEC Announces Ballots Arrival For Rivercess County, District 2 By-Election" (PDF). National Elections Commission . Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  4. ↑ Lomax, Selma (April 14, 2015). "Liberia: Brumskine Rallies Support for LP in Rivercess By-Election". FrontPage Africa . AllAfrica. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  5. ↑ Wesee, Ben P. (September 30, 2015). "Representative's Death a Big Gap". The New Dawn Liberia. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  6. ↑ National Democratic Institute. Know Your Representative
  7. 1 2 "NEC Sets December 29 as By-Election Day in District 2, Lofa County". National Elections Commission. October 19, 2015. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  8. 1 2 "Liberia: NEC Qualifies 10 Candidates for Lofa County By-Election". FrontPage Africa . AllAfrica. November 27, 2015. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Independent Candidate Julie Wiah Wins Lofa County District #2 By-Election" (PDF). National Elections Commission . Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Rivercess by-election today". The New Dawn Liberia. April 21, 2015. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Thirtieth progress report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Mission in Liberia". United Nations Mission in Liberia. August 13, 2015. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  12. 1 2 3 "Press Release" (PDF). National Elections Commission. April 22, 2015. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  13. 1 2 3 "Liberia: NEC Declares Zahnwea of MPC Winner of Rivercess By-Election". AllAfrica. FrontPage Africa. April 28, 2015. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  14. ↑ Genoway, Edwin, Jr. (May 7, 2015). "Liberia: NEC Certificates Rivercess County New Lawmaker". AllAfrica. FrontPage Africa . Retrieved August 16, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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