The Congress forDemocratic Change(CDC) candidate in Liberia's presidential election, Winston Tubman has pulled out of today's vote, alleging fraud.But President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf closed her re-election campaign asking supporters to turn out for the vote despite an opposition boycott.'November 8 is coming. That is your constitutional right to vote. That is one thing that the law book gives you, for you to choose your leader in a democratic process.'Nobody must tell you what to do. That is your own heart that will show you how to vote. Vote your heart because I know that if you vote your heart and look at the thing for a long time, you may say, oh, I think that Ma Ellen can do the job, oh," she said.President Johnson-Sirleaf told voters not to allow politicians to hold Liberia hostage, and not to succumb to what she calls 'fear and intimidation.'But her opponent, former justice minister Winston Tubman, said it is the president who is trying to intimidate opposition supporters by calling their planned boycott unconstitutional.He said it is the right of all voters to vote or not vote as they wish.But Tubman said the CDC will not take part in the run-off because it will not be fair.'We call on all CDCians and well-meaning Liberians not to legitimatise the charade that is planned for November 8. Already, thousands of our partisans are responding to our calls," said Tubman.In its boycott, Tubman said party supporters must remain peaceful in just the second nationwide election since the end of Liberia's 14-year civil war.'The eyes of the world are on our country and we in CDC must not use violence in any way.'We will achieve more by being peaceful, law-abiding, and responsible. Therefore I call on all of our members to be totally peaceful in everything that we do,' Tubman said.He called for government security forces and United Nations peacekeepers to refrain from threatening and intimidating CDC members as they exercise their rights of assembly, association and speech.Meanwhile, at least one person has been killed after shots were fired during an opposition protest in Monrovia ahead of today's run-off in Liberia.Opposition activists were said to have exchanged fire with the police.The incumbent and Nobel Peace laureate, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf became Africa's first elected female head of state after Liberia's first post-war election in 2005.These are the first elections organised by Liberians since the 14-year conflict ended - the previous ones were run by the large UN peacekeeping mission.The rioting broke out after CDC supporters gathered outside party headquarters to urge voters to boycott today's poll.Police, backed by UN forces, said they were not allowed to hold a march and reportedly blocked the road before the shooting and stone-throwing broke out.Journalists said they saw the body of a young man lying on the ground outside the CDC base.
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