By Richard Valdmanis and Alphonso Toweh
MONROVIA (Reuters) - Nine Liberian opposition parties, including President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf's two main challengers, have rejected results announced so far for this week's presidential election, alleging massive fraud.
The move is the first sign of trouble in the West African state's presidential election, the second post-war ballot which is a key test of progress towards stability and its readiness for investment in untapped mining, agricultural and oil resources.
According to the latest results on Saturday, newly named Nobel Peace laureate Johnson-Sirleaf was leading with 44.6 percent of the votes, ahead of Winston Tubman of the CDC party, slightly up on 31.4 percent of some 950,000 valid votes counted.
Despite the lead, Johnson-Sirleaf remains short of the outright majority required for a first-round win. The election commission says results for about 80 percent of polling stations have come in.
"We declare the results being reported by the National Election Commission as fraud and are consequently declared null and void by all parties signatory to this release," a statement said.
The statement, released before the latest batch of results were announced, had been signed by nine parties representing eight of the country's 14 presidential candidates, including Tubman and third-placed former rebel Prince Johnson.
An official from the Carter Centre, an election watchdog, said they were aware of the statement but they had not seen any evidence of fraud.
Some 1.8 million Liberians registered to vote. A run-off will take place in early November if no candidate secures more than 50 percent.
The opposition party statement also called on party representatives following counting to withdraw from the process and said that they would hold a peaceful rally on Sunday.
The election commission did not comment specifically on the opposition claims but called on parties to use legal channels to address complaints over the vote.
Although Johnson-Sirleaf has been widely praised abroad for stabilising and starting to rebuild the country, critics say progress has been too slow and they regularly complain about poor infrastructure, the lack of services and rampant corruption.
Thousands of United Nations peacekeepers still play a key role in ensuring security.
There was no immediate reaction in the streets of Monrovia but in an apparent sign of tensions surrounding the poll, a spokesman for Johnson-Sirleaf's Unity Party said one of their offices had been set ablaze overnight.
"We believe it was politically motivated," Bushema Keita told Reuters.
Voting on Tuesday passed generally peacefully and no observer missions have flagged any serious irregularities in the process so far.
The election was Liberia's first locally organised poll since an on-and-off 1989-2003 conflict, and if smooth could pave the way for billions of dollars in mining and oil investment.
(Writing by David Lewis)
