Liberia to hold 2nd-round presidential election

MONROVIA - Liberia is expected to hold a second-round presidential election on November 8 as no candidate grasps an absolute majority in the first round, according to information released by the country's National Election Commission (NEC) on Sunday.

Latest results announced on Sunday showed that newly-named Nobel Peace Prize laureate Johnson Sirleaf was leading with 44 percent of the votes, ahead of Winston Tubman of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) party, who gained 32.2 percent. So far 96 percent of the votes have been counted.

Sirleaf has failed to obtain more than 50 percent of the votes as required by the law to succeed in the first round. The second- round runoff is expected to be held on November 8 as the NEC planned.

"From the statistics we have, we do not think the remaining number will make any difference or give any one party the absolute majority required by law to win on the first ballot," NEC Chairman James Fromayah told journalists on Sunday.

"Yes, a runoff is imminent," Fromayah added.

As the candidate of Liberia's main opposition party, Tubman on Sunday withdrew the demand for a recount of the presidential poll, and said he will take part in the runoff.

Opposition parties in Liberia on Saturday rejected the provisional results from Tuesday's presidential and legislative elections for alleged fraud.