BY-ELECTION ARCHIVE
Grand Bassa elects a new senator
A senatorial by-election was held across Grand Bassa County on 7 May 2013 after the death of Senator John Francis Whitfield of the National Patriotic Party on 17 January. The President Pro-Tempore of the Senate notified the National Elections Commission of the vacancy on 18 February, activating the constitutional by-election process.
Candidates and result
Four candidates qualified: T. Wah Bedell of the National Patriotic Party, independent candidate Daniel Lymus Chea, Jonathan Lambort Kaipay of the Unity Party, and Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence of the Liberty Party.
Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence won with 11,000 votes (41.04%). Daniel Lymus Chea placed second with 9,102 votes (33.96%), followed by Jonathan Lambort Kaipay with 5,899 votes (22.01%) and T. Wah Bedell with 801 votes (2.99%).
The count recorded 26,802 valid votes and 1,067 invalid ballots, for 27,869 ballots cast. All 336 polling places reported, and turnout was 22.4%.
Certification and significance
The NEC announced the final result in Buchanan on 9 May 2013 and certified Karnga-Lawrence as the winner. Her victory made her the first woman elected to represent Grand Bassa County in the Liberian Senate.
Archive status
The election date, vacancy, candidates, final declaration, reporting coverage and turnout are verified from the NEC’s official statement. Candidate-level totals are preserved from contemporaneous reporting of the NEC result.