Claim: Joseph N. Boakai has been declared president-elect of Liberia

Source: Facebook user

Verdict: FALSE

Researched by Gifty Tracy Aminu  

A Facebook user claims opposition leader and presidential candidate of the Unity Party (UP), Joseph N. Boakai, has been declared President-elect of Liberia after the October 10, 2023, general elections.

With 22,000 followers, the netizen said in a post on October 11, 2023: “I would like to take this time to congratulate President-elect Joseph N. Boakai on his impressive victory…”

A screenshot of the Facebook post

This fact-check report seeks to verify the accuracy of the claim.

Background

More than 2.4 million eligible voters in Liberia on October 10, 2023, went to the polls to elect their government representatives including the President, Senators and Members of the House of Representatives.

The democratic exercise took place at 2,080 voting precincts and 5,890 polling places, according to data from the National Elections Commission, Liberia.

 Fact-check

The National Elections Commission, Liberia is yet to announce official results following yesterday’s general elections.

Checks from stakeholders and observer groups including ECOWAS-Cedeao, WANEP-Liberia, and the European Union in Liberia, show that none of the presidential candidates have been declared the winner.

“The National Elections Commission has not announced preliminary results. It will begin by 4 pm local time today,” Jerry Gaye of Local Voices Liberia stated in a call.

According to media reports, counting and the collation of ballots are still ongoing.

Verdict

The claim that Joseph N. Boakai has been declared president-elect of Liberia is FALSE.

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