Calm returned to the Liberian capital of Monrovia yesterday after losing presidential candidate George Weah called on his partisans and supporters to leave the streets and stop demonstrating.
Weah told his supporters he would pursue the issue of vote rigging in the Nov. 8 presidential runoff election through legal means.
He has claimed the polls were flawed with poll workers casting ballots in advance for his opponent, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.
Meanwhile, the supreme court of Liberia rejected a petition by Weah's party, the Congress for Democratic Change, seeking a stay order on the counting of ballots, saying the party should await the outcome of the investigation being conducted by the National Elections Commission.
At Weah's party headquarters, the soccer star called on about 1,500 supporters shouting "No Weah, Peace!" to remain calm on Friday.
"You have to be courageous because you have not lost the elections," a black-suited Weah said, two huge gold rings on his hand and sweat pouring from his furled brow.
"You have to trust me. Do not, do not in the name of peace, go on the street and riot," he said. "People are frightened. We want no more war ... Let us take our time and be peaceful."
Liberia has been devastated by coups, fighting and poverty for a quarter of a century. Many hoped the presidential vote would bring a new era of peace to the war-ravaged country, where 15,000 UN peacekeepers are deployed.
The UN peacekeeping force said in a statement it "reiterates that it will deal firmly and decisively with any attempts, by any persons, who would seek to use violence to derail the elections process or to undermine peace or public order."
Johnson-Sirleaf claimed victory late on Thursday. For that to be confirmed, the electoral commission must complete ballot counting and officially certify the results, a process that could take days.
After Weah's speech on Friday, thousands of angry supporters waving tree branches symbolizing peace marched down the middle of a main road. They poured past the barbed-wire-protected and guarded National Elections Commission, and headed into the city center. UN troops and police cordoned off streets around Johnson-Sirleaf's downtown headquarters.
International observer teams from the US, the EU and the Economic Community of West African States have all deemed the vote fair and said they saw no widespread irregularities.
Separately on Friday, the UN Security Council approved a resolution authorizing peacekeepers to arrest former President Charles Taylor if he returns home and to hand him over to the war crimes tribunal for prosecution.
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