[4] Following the conclusion of the accreditation period, NEC Chairman James M. Fromayan noted that of the 2,700 registration forms delivered to political aspirants, only 920 had been returned.

[6] In January 2010, incumbent President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf confirmed that she would run for a second term in office while speaking to a joint session of the Legislature.

[14] However, this deal ultimately fell apart, and the Liberty Party announced in February 2011 that Senator Franklin Siakor had been chosen as Brumskine's running mate for the election.

[17] Johnson originally chose Grand Cape Mount County Senator Abel Massalay as his running mate, but fired him in January 2011.

"[31] Tubman stated that one of the most pressing issues facing the country was reconciling the Americo-Liberian minority and the indigenous majority, warning that a failure to do so would lead to another civil war.

[32] On 9 July, the Liberian newspaper FrontPageAfrica published a pre-election analysis allegedly commissioned by the Unity Party that discussed Sirleaf's expected vote tally in the first round of elections.

[40] Two men destroyed the car of UP party official Eugene Nagbe with a petrol bomb in the yard of his home in Margibi County on 17 August 2011.

[43] The Liberia National Police later arrested three suspects believed to be involved in the attack on Nagbe, as well as separate instances of armed robbery and gang rape.

[41] Numerous media outlets also reported that on the same day, former footballer Christopher Wreh was attacked following his endorsement of Sirleaf's presidential campaign.

Reiterating her call for peaceful elections, Sirleaf stated, "Violence against, and intimidation of, political actors and individuals undermine and destroy democracy.

[49] In September 2010, the NEC announced that a popular referendum to ratify four constitutional amendments passed by the Legislature in August 2010 would be held prior to the elections.

"[55] Prior to a preliminary hearing on 20 September, the Supreme Court issued an injunction barring the six parties from campaigning pending the outcome of the litigation.

[60] Specioza Kazibwe, the head of the AU observer mission, termed the elections "phenomenal" and praised Liberians for turning out in high numbers despite heavy rain.

[62] The ECOWAS observer mission also praised the vote, saying that "on the whole, the elections of 11 October 2011, were conducted under acceptable conditions of freedom of voters and transparency of the process.

"[63] The Liberia-based Elections Coordinating Commission commended polling workers for their professionalism and for giving special priority to elderly, disabled and pregnant voters.

"[65] United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stated that the elections were an "important milestone" in the move to "consolidate peace and democracy in the country.

[67] In a statement, the nine parties claimed that the NEC was fraudulently altering the vote count to favor Sirleaf, saying that they planned to present their evidence of fraud through the media and would not respect the outcome of the elections.

[68] On the same day, a local office of the Unity Party in Monrovia was set ablaze, with UNMIL and the Liberia National Police investigating the incident.

"[76] He termed his choice of Sirleaf "the lesser of two evils" and added that he refused to support Tubman because of the CDC's stated aim of implementing the TRC report that recommended prosecution of Johnson for war crimes.

[77][78] Former President Moses Blah endorsed Sirleaf on 24 October, praising her administration's development projects in his native Nimba County.

[79] Seventh-place finisher Togba-Nah Tipoteh of the Freedom Alliance Party of Liberia also endorsed Sirleaf for the second round on 27 October, citing her administration for the level of transparency it had brought to the political process.

[80] Charles Brumskine, who came in fourth in the first round, endorsed Sirleaf on 31 October, saying: "[O]ur task as we see it is one of judging capacity and potential and making good faith effort to help move our country forward.

"[81] Sirleaf also received the endorsement of Gladys Beyan, the sixth-place finisher in the presidential election for the Grassroot Democratic Party of Liberia.

[93] On 4 November, Tubman stated that he would boycott the second round, saying, "We will never reward fraud and abuse of power and will never grant legitimacy to a corrupt political process.

"[100] A spokeswoman for the US State Department also expressed disappointment in Tubman's decision, as she noted that "the CDC's charge that the first-round election was fraudulent is unsubstantiated."

The protestors said they had planned to march through Monrovia to the UNMIL headquarters and the United States Embassy to present a petition protesting the second-round elections.

[102] When the LNP blocked off access to Tubman Boulevard, the crowd began throwing stones at the officers and attempting to break through the police line, leading to tear gas being deployed and shooting which killed at least one person.

[103] A spokesman for the LNP initially claimed that the officers had not deployed live rounds against the protestors, limiting themselves to tear gas in order "to disperse the crowd so that people who were not part of the demonstration could move about freely.

[107][108] On 11 November, President Sirleaf announced the formation of an independent commission to investigate the shooting and vowed that any person who had broken the law would be brought to justice.

While the run-off was undermined by the CDC boycott, the eruption of electoral violence, and low voter turnout, it allowed Liberians who wished to participate to express their will in a transparent and credible process.