The election headquarters of the former international footballer, George Weah, has claimed victory in the Liberian presidential run-off election. Senator George Weah and Vice-President Joseph Boakai sparred in the bid to replace Africa’s first elected female president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, whose 12-year rule cemented peace in Liberia after the civil war ended in 2003.
Election magistrates, in a soccer stadium outside the capital, Monrovia, last Wednesday began compiling vote totals from the country’s 15 counties after Tuesday’s run-off.
Officials at the Senator Weah headquarters told newsmen that their own tallies based on results from individual polling stations showed that their man was clearly ahead. Also unofficial partial results announced on local radio stations showed that Senator Weah was leading by 70 per cent.
But the National Election Commission, NEC, has advised all Liberians to wait for the official result which was still being expected as we went to press.
It will be recalled that as Liberians returned to the polls last Tuesday to choose their next president, African-Americans and Africans in the Diaspora issued statements on the importance of the exercise. The Congressional Black Caucus in the US described the vote as crucial. The Conference of Black Mayors in Britain urged complete fair play at the polls.
Concerned Africans and indeed all Blacks at home and in the Diaspora keenly watched the contest. Liberia, which was founded by freed US slaves in the 19th Century, has not had a smooth transfer of power in 73 years. The former international footballer, George Weah, won the first round last October, but did not secure the required 50% of the vote for an outright victory. The National Election Commission initially fixed the run-off for December 7, 2017.
But legal challenges delayed the run-off vote to get a successor for Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s first elected female president.
Former Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan, who monitored the election as part of the National Democratic Institute Observer mission, told reporters that the vote was free and fair. Mr. Jonathan acknowledged that “Liberia has great challenges but it was witnessing a situation where the sitting president will hand over to another democratically elected president. That will tell the whole world that Liberia is now a stable country democratically and that the remaining thing is to grow the economy.”
Latest reports say Mr. Weah has already posted a tweet saying: “It is with deep emotion that I want to thank you, the Liberian people, for honouring me with your vote. We are on the verge of making history for our people.”
