Liberia is one of the poorest countries in the world. Now, after a close runoff election for the presidency, a change of power is looming. Incumbent and former world footballer Weah warns of a split.
After a close runoff election, Liberia is facing a change of government. Incumbent and former world footballer George Weah admitted his defeat against challenger Joseph Boakai on Friday evening. Weah said he congratulated Boakai on his victory. The results indicated that Boakai had an unassailable lead.
Liberians are the winners of the elections, Weah said, calling on his supporters to accept the results. After almost all votes were counted, Boakai led with 50.9 percent, ahead of Weah with 49.1 percent, media reported, citing the electoral commission. The US congratulated Boakai.
Weah won the first round of elections on October 10 by a narrow margin with 43.83 percent of the vote, ahead of Boakai with 43.44 percent. The runoff election in the West African country was on Tuesday.
After counting almost all votes, Joseph Boakai leads with 50.9 percent.
Deep divisions in the country
The government of former football star Weah, who played for top clubs such as Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Chelsea FC, has been linked to several corruption scandals. Boakai was vice president from 2006 to 2018 under Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize winner.
Both candidates promised jobs and investments in the infrastructure of the heavily indebted country. “The Liberian people have spoken and we have heard their voice,” Weah said. However, the close results revealed deep divisions in the country. “As we transition to a new government, we must be mindful of the dangers of division and work together to find common ground.”
The US welcomed Weah’s peaceful acceptance of the results. “We call on all citizens to follow President Weah’s example and accept the results,” said US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.
The democratic tradition
Liberia was founded by freed slaves from America and became independent in 1846 – long before almost all other African states. Despite its rich natural resources, the coastal state on the Atlantic is one of the poorest countries in the world. In addition to economic problems, many Liberians are particularly concerned about corruption and the slow process of coming to terms with the crimes of the civil war. Between 1989 and 2003 around 250,000 people were killed.
In this context, Liberia has a special significance in West Africa, says Adel de Finado, professor at the Center for Democracy and Development in Abuja, Nigeria. Liberia was proof that peaceful transitions of power are possible – even in a country that suffered the consequences of brutal civil wars and a devastating Ebola epidemic. A country whose population elected Nobel Prize winner Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the first woman in Africa, as head of state.
There was already a runoff election in 2017 between Weah from the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) and Boakai from the Party for Unity (UP). Weah won at that time with 61.5 percent to 38.5 percent.
With information from Dunja Sadaqi, ARD studio Rabat