MONROVIA, April 16 (LINA) - The National Elections Commission (NEC) has announced the arrival of ballot papers for the April 21Representative By-Election in Electoral District Number 2 in Rivercess County.
Acting NEC Chairman Cllr. Sarah Toe made the declaration Wednesday at a news conference held at the Commission’s headquarters in Monrovia.
Cllr. Toe said a total of 24,200 ballot papers have been printed and delivered to the NEC, according to a release from the Commission.
She indicated that the ballot papers which were printed in Ghana were brought into the country on Monday, April 13, and are being packaged for Election Day, April 21.
Toe said in keeping with the key electoral dates of the Rivercess County Electoral District Number 2 By-Election, NEC on March 25, 2015 officially certified 10 candidates to contest the election and officially declared the start of political campaigning on the same day.
Those certificated are 10 candidates certified by NEC include one female and nine males.
They are Charles Zarkpah Bartee, Sr of the Congress For Democratic Change (CDC); Thomas M. Doue, Alternative National Congress (ANC); Jerry F. Greene, Unity Party (UP); Hilary F. Mentoe, Independent and Gabriel Paul, National Patriotic Party.
Others are Jerome G. Reeves, Union of Liberian Democrats (ULD); Matthew T. Wally, Liberty Party; Lucky T. Wesseh, National Democratic Coalition (NDC); Kofi B. Zah, People’s Unification Party (PUP) and Byron W. Zahnwea, Movement for Progressive Change (MPC).
She also said NEC will recruit over 200 temporary staffs and has accredited 26 international observers, 44 national observers and 840 independent candidates and political party agents for the April 21 polls.
Institutions accredited by NEC are the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES); United States Embassy; African Union, European Union, UNMIL, UNDP, the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission (JPC), the Elections Coordinating Committee and the Angie Brooks International, among others.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alex Tyler, in keeping with Article 37 of the Liberian Constitution, on January 22, 2015, wrote NEC notifying it of the existence of a vacancy in the House of Representatives.
In the letter, Speaker Tyler informed NEC that the vacancy is a result of the election of Rivercess County Electoral District Number 2 Representative, Francis Paye, as Senator during the December 20, 2014 Special Senatorial Election.
LINA