Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Politics
Al Jazeera News

Supreme Court delays vote runoff amid fraud allegations

Women hold banners encouraging peace during a peace mediation meeting [File: James Giahyue/Reuters]

Liberia's Supreme Court has delayed a presidential runoff indefinitely, a day before the vote was due to take place.

The court on Monday announced the decision, saying the election would not go ahead until a legal complaint alleging voter fraud and irregularities by the opposition Liberty Party is resolved.

The National Elections Commission will now need to consider allegations of voter fraud.

The runoff between former international footballer George Weah and Vice President Joseph Boakai had been set for Tuesday.

Liberians went to the polls earlier in October to elect a successor to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who stepped down after 12 years in office.

The vote was meant to mark the first time since 1944 that a democratically elected leader would hand over power to another elected leader in the country.

Twenty candidates ran for the country's top job, including the Liberty Party's Charles Brumskine who was behind the appeal to stop the runoff. Brumskine came in third place in the last vote.

Although Weah and Boakai won most votes, neither scored more than the 50 percent needed to become president.

Many Liberians view the country with political class with suspicion.

But lawyer Sayma Syrenius Cephus told Al Jazeera a constitutional crisis was unlikely.

"The petition is not to determine a run or a rerun. It is also not a petition to determine whether they can be an interim arrangement," he said.

The National Elections Commission has until November 22 to conclude its investigation.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.