He lost but won praise from abroad. Liberia’s outgoing president, George Weah, was hailed internationally for immediately defeating the presidential election and promoting a non-violent transfer of power in a region plagued by power grabs. Political veteran Joseph Boakai, 78, former vice-president of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first woman elected head of state in Africa, was declared Monday the winner of the presidential election by the electoral commission after counting all the ballots from vote of November 14.
Joseph Boakai won with 50.64% of the votes, against 49.36% for George Weah, Davidetta Browne Lansanah, president of the commission (NEC), told the press. Joseph Boakai is only ahead of George Weah by 20,567 votes out of just over 1.6 million voters. George Weah admitted on Friday evening that he had lost in view of the almost final results.
“Peaceful change is possible” in West Africa
Joseph Boakai has remained strangely silent, while his supporters have been celebrating across the country since Friday by dancing in the streets and waving flags bearing his image. Joseph Boakai’s campaign was notable for its discretion in the capital Monrovia. “Liberians have demonstrated once again that democracy is alive in the ECOWAS region and that change through peaceful means is possible,” responded the Economic Community of West African States in a press release.
Since 2020, ECOWAS has lived to the rhythm of abrupt regime changes. Soldiers took power by force in four of the fifteen member countries, Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Niger. The 2020 presidential elections in Ivory Coast and Guinea were marred by violence and protests. Togo has been ruled by the Gnassingbé father and son for almost 60 years.
One of the challenges of the presidential election in Liberia was its peaceful and regular conduct, and the acceptance of the results. Violence during the campaign and between the two rounds raised fears of a bumpy future. The history of Liberia, which emerged in 2003 from 14 years of almost uninterrupted civil war, played into this concern. George Weah, seeking a second term, largely dispelled it on Friday by bowing to Joseph Boakai.
“Outstanding leadership”
“Tonight, the CDC (the Coalition for Democratic Change, his party) lost the election but Liberia won. It’s time for elegance in defeat,” said in a firm voice on the radio the man who already stood out for his class on the football fields. He exalted “democratic principles” at a time when they are being called into question in the region. He urged his supporters to “follow his example and accept the results”. “Our time will come again,” said George Weah, 57, while his intentions after the official end of his presidency in January 2024 are not known.
Foreign partners welcomed the conduct of the election, which was “peaceful” for the West African Community as well as the UN and the United States, an important ally of Liberia. They complimented the winner. A special mention was awarded to George Weah. “President Weah has shown the qualities of an exemplary statesman,” said Goodluck Jonathan, former president of Nigeria, on X (ex-Twitter), at the head of a mediation mission during the elections.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the president of Nigeria, heavyweight of ECOWAS, praised the “extraordinary leadership” and the “democratic sportsmanship” of George Weah, “at a particular moment in the history of the “West Africa where democracy is under attack from evil actors determined to subvert the will of the people.” George Weah “countered the received idea that democratic transitions were untenable in West Africa,” said Bola Ahmed Tinubu, elected in 2023 despite accusations of fraud from his adversaries.
Several presidential elections are planned in 2024 in West Africa, in Senegal, in Ghana (members of ECOWAS), in Mauritania, theoretically in Mali and Burkina Faso, led by the military.