![Liberia: Supreme Court halts election set for next week pending decision in election fraud case](https://www.jurist.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/03/shutterstock_657639088.jpg)
The Supreme Court of Liberia [official website] on Wednesday halted [press release] the run-off elections set for November 7, pending the court’s decision Thursday in a case brought by the first-round losing candidate for allegations of election fraud [Reuters report].
The October 10 vote did not end with a majority for any candidate, but Liberian soccer star George Weah and Vice President Joseph Boakai each won 38.4 and 28.8 percent respectively, against Liberian Party candidate Charles Brumskine who only secured 9.6 percent of the vote. Brumskine filed a complaint alleging the election was “marred by fraud” [Bloomberg report] and did not represent the will of the people.
Justice Kabineh M. Ja’neh ordered a stay of the election until Brumskine’s objection requesting to participate in the run-off election is heard. Justice Ja’neh ordered the stay in light of issues raised in the complaint and the nature of the case itself, stating:
Giving [sic] the constitutional issues raised in the petition, coupled with the fact that elections matters are to be expeditiously heard and determined, upon service of the Writ and Filing of Returns to the Writ, the case shall immediately be transferred and docketed on the Supreme Court’s docket for the urgent disposition by the FULL BENCH.
Elections set for next week may continue if the court is able to dispose of the case quickly after Thursday’s hearing.