Liberia’s ruling United Party said on Friday it would not appeal the top court’s rejection of its legal challenge to delay an upcoming presidential run-off vote, seen as a crucial test to the crisis-hit country’s stability. The party of Vice-President Joseph Boakai, one of the two contenders in the December 26 ballot, filed the request last week after calling into question the official election body’s integrity. But the Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed the party’s demand that parliament be given the power to set a new vote date. “The Supreme Court has decided, what can we say? Nothing. We have taken note, and we will go to the election,” Unity Party spokesman Mohammed Ali told AFP Friday.
An EU observers’ mission said the court’s decision reflected that the National Elections Commission (NEC) had “acted in accordance with the constitution”.
It was the ruling party’s second such challenge against the NEC since the first round of voting on October 10, in which Boakai trailed Liberian football star George Weah by almost 10 points.
Following the poor performance, the vice-president filed a complaint in late October alleging that “massive fraud and irregularities” had marred the vote.
Full Article: Liberia court denies ruling party’s vote delay request | GulfNews.com.