A viral claim that the National Elections Commission has fined President George Weah US$2 million for conceding defeat in the presidential run-off election before the announcement of final results is false.
The claim emerged after President Weah congratulated his opponent Joseph N. Boakai of the Unity Party following the Commission’s announcement of consolidated results for the presidential runoff on Friday, October 17.
At that time, NEC announced that former Vice President Boakai was leading with 50.89% of the votes while incumbent President Weah had obtained 49.11%. At that time, NCE had announced that nearly all the votes were tallied — 99.58%
Following that Friday’s announcement, President Weah later that day released a statement conceding defeat to Mr. Boakai.
The Claim
On November 19, a Facebook user known as Rosa Parks posted a claim inquiring if the NEC has fined the President for conceding.
Another Facebook user identified as Terry Paye also claimed that President Weah was asked by the Commission to pay US$2 million for conceding defeat.
There were several other posts relative to the same claim shared in popular Facebook group Fries FM.
Rating Justification
To fact check this claim, we first reviewed the website and official Facebook page of the NEC for a statement or release connected to the claim but we did not find any information.
We then reviewed the New Election Law, which is an authoritative source, for any provision(s) that prohibit or prevent a candidate from conceding defeat before the final pronouncement of a candidate by the NEC as winner of an election, but we did not find any evidence.
Additionally, we contacted the Communications Department of the NEC via to verify the claim. According to the NEC’s Deputy Director of Communications, Prince Dunbar, the claim is false and the Commission has not fined anyone for conceding defeat.
Conclusion
Based on the research conducted, we, therefore conclude that the claim is false. The Commission has not fined anyone for conceding defeat in the 2023 Legislative and presidential elections including the presidential run-off.
This report was developed with the support of Internews through the USAID Media Activity project. The funder has no say in the editorial decision leading to the production of this content