Riot Mars University of Liberia Senior Class Election

Riot between opposing sides in Senior Class election at the state-run University of Liberia (UL) disrupted the poll, following claims of stolen ballot box. No official from the election council, student leader or UL authorities could be reached as they were not found on campus to comment on the incident.

However, eyewitnesses accused militants of the governing Student Unification Party or SUP for the abrupt disappearance of the ballot box. There were also claims that the ruling party was protecting its interest in the Senior Class election against rival contenders.

Before this paper arrived on the campus yesterday, eyewitnesses said at least one student sustained injury during encounter with UL police and was subsequently taken out of the campus.

Some students alleged that the UL Dean of Students, Dr. Sarwolo Nelson, announced a cancelling of the election, and that there will be no graduation, but others disputed that the election was declared "null and void."

Eyewitnesses spoke of stone throwing during the riot on the UL Main Campus on Capitol Hill. UL Police did not allow reporters through the gate to the office of the University Relations on grounds that authorities there had left prior to the incident.

The Director of UL Relations, Augustine Boakai, told this paper via mobile phone that he was not on campus, and did not know of the incident, promising to speak on it today.

Students were seen standing in groups in various quarters of the campus, up to late evening. The governing SUP party is said to have a long history of heading most of the campus based leadership. But the student politics on the campus most often turned violent as a result of disputes during elections, sometimes causing severe casualties.