MONROVIA – Former soccer star George Weah has defeated Vice President Joseph Boakai to win Liberia’s presidential run-off election and succeed incumbent Ellen Johnson Sirleaf next month, the country’s first democratic transition in over 70 years.
With 98.1 percent of the vote counted, Weah led with 61.5 percent to Boakai’s 38.5 percent, National Election Commission Chairman Jerome Korkoyah told reporters in the capital Monrovia on Thursday.
At his party headquarters outside Monrovia, tears streamed down Weah’s face as he greeted supporters from a balcony. Outside, young fans ran through the streets and blared car horns as dusk fell over the city.
“Success for George Weah is victory for the whole country,” a 47-year-old engineer named Randall Zarkpah said as he walked home with his young son.
“When you feel sick for some time and you receive proper medication – that is how I feel now. He will be good for our country. He is King George!”
Weah grew up in Clara Town slum in Monrovia and went on to become the only African to win FIFA World Player of the Year, starring for AC Milan, Paris St Germain and Chelsea.
His rags-to-riches story helped him tap into dissatisfaction with Johnson Sirleaf’s 12-year tenure. Sirleaf drew a line under years of civil war but drew criticism for failing to root out corruption or persistent poverty.
Weah’s critics, however, say he has offered few concrete policy proposals. His choice of running mate Jewel Howard-Taylor – ex-wife of Charles Taylor, the former president and warlord serving 50 years in Britain for war crimes in neighbouring Sierra Leone – has also raised eyebrows.
“I think Weah is not fit for the work. He will see it,” said Anthony Mason, 34, who had gathered at the headquarters of Boakai’s Unity Party for the results.
Weah looked set to sweep 14 of Liberia’s 15 counties in the run-off. Turnout in Tuesday’s vote stood at 56 percent, the election commission said.
Earlier on Thursday, Boakai said he doubted that the vote was “free, fair and transparent”, without elaborating. He did not say whether he might challenge the eventual result.
The second round was delayed by more than a month after the third-place finisher in October’s first round, backed by Boakai, alleged fraud. The Supreme Court ultimately rejected the challenge.
The U.S.-based Carter Center and National Democratic Institute said on Thursday there were notable improvements in the handling of the run-off, echoing positive assessments from other international observers.
Founded by freed U.S. slaves in 1847, Liberia is Africa’s oldest modern republic. But the last democratic transfer of power occurred in 1944, a military coup took place in 1980 and a 14-year civil war ended only in 2003.
This must be a lie.
I live Scotland snd I doubt this Is true.
Footballers have no education and don’t belong at state houses.
I don’t think Nigerians are that silly to elect this nonentity
Thanks
BB2014,2026
Nice dumb and blonde comment from our one and only beloved PhD holder.
“Football legend George Manneh Weah on Saturday received a Master of Public Administration Degree (MPA) from the Devry University in Miami, Florida the USA, fortifying a major lapse in his quest for the Liberian presidency.
Eight years after his lack of an education dealt a major blow to his quest for the Liberian presidency, George Manneh Weah is now the holder of an undergraduate and a Master’s Degree.” ******
The story is about Liberia and not Nigeria. Monrovia, Liberia is 1 hour behind Lagos, Nigeria.
It was supposed to be our Kalusha Bwalya!!!
Mwamona nomba.
Mbesuma for 2021!
I can’t believe people are falling into her trap. It’s a deliberate act so that you can react. Most people here do not read with the intention to understand but read with the intention to reply.
Embarrassing display of ignorance from our Mushota!
ITS NOT NIGERIA YOU FOOLISH MUSHOTA, ITS LIBERIA
The single handedly financed the Liberian National Soccer team The Loan Star through out the entire CAF tournament. ….jerseys, flights, accommodation etc.
W-orld Footballer of the Year
E-uropean Footballer of the Year
A-frican Footballer of the Year
H-ead of State
George Weah
Mwamona ba Kalusha mulewayawaya fye umunenu mu State House.
George Weah, a man of destine, going about his business methodically, winning an election handily. May he change Liberia and change it for better, for good, for prosperity.
Congrats to that responsible host, Africa’s first female president, Nobel Peace Prize winner Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, for having been so responsible in overseeing this monumental transfer of power in the history and politics of Liberia.
Who says Weah is from Nigeria, you are such a blonde
Are we not going to the inauguration ceremony ba Zambia?
What has Nigeria got to do with Liberian elections and Weah…….. Mushota?
She is dull, and is one of those people who think Africa is one big country. Mushota go to BBC as they are reporting this. I’m sure Scotland has a bbc channel
PHD and doesnt know the difference between Liberia and Nigeria
Congratulations president Elect .@ Mushota elections were in Liberia and not Nigeria as per your comment.
I reckon Mushota PHD like GBM must helped to understand that ECL is President of Zambia and that HH is president of a Club called UPND
Lusaka times , please send my heart felt Congratulations to the President Elect and that I shall soon sending our support for Economic Diversification and Job creation initiatives very soon actually even before he takes office .Congrats Liberian , forget about the ignorant Mushota
Ka Mushota naiwe walisamwa sana ai?
Ba kalusha bakekatwa baliduma indalama (US$80,000.00) shya FIFA, teti beshye nu kupalama kuma politics. ACC ikekata onces-cut
Liberia seems to be a land of opportunities first a female president and now a footballer, I wonder what next. Bra Mushota what happened for you to mix up the countries?
i can see three symbols there, the guy in front has done da UNIP, the other one pamaka, en the one near the horse of the truck the hour has come!! can some pipo do
forward also
@ Mushota, ewabako!!kkkkkikikiki, mushota shud be the admin of this site, like seriously how does he/she get to be the first to post the comment? jst trying to capture pipos attention here!!!!
Niberia and Ligeria are fake countries where Mushota got her fake Phd.
Congrats to the president elect of Niberia (in Mushota speak)
Kikikikikikikikikiki……….. the PHD holder who doesn’t know the difference between Liberia & Nigeria!!
That is where her intelligence lies – she is so disruptive!!!!!
People with a clean and trackable lagcy are winning elections while we have candidates in Zambia who can not:
1. Account for their wealth, 2. Clarify over their religion, 3. Can not come out on the tribal remarks and actions.
Can not answer a single question clearly. God bless Liberia and king george.
Librarians are lucky , George w is rich already and will not steal ……unlike unlucky Zambia who have a fraud convict drunk from chawama as president……corruption is already there for all to see….
*****s
All it requires to run a country successfully is wisdom. A president chooses who his advisers will be. Congrats Mr. Weah!
On behalf of the party and those of us determined to make zed a better place for all we send our congratulations to President elect Weah. GW was destined to rule. As a professional footballer he never forgot his country and where he came from. He often single handedly sponsored the national team including their air bills, lodge and allowances. A selfless gesture. It was painful to see him trying to do everything alone on the pitch as he was surrounded by substandard players but he soldiered on. When he run in the first election he stretched it to a second round people said he was not educated so he wouldn’t understand the world! So he went back to school and read…the rest is history. May God give him wisdom to lead.
I salute the Liberian authority for a peaceful, transparency, free and fair electoral process which has allowed the will of the people to prevail. A big lesson to African countries that cannot embrace the authoritarian powers vested in the hands of people. THANK U GOD
God bless the humble people, he is coming from underclass community and imaginary friends, these are people who rule the country with reality of God’s mercy.Americans and British tried to bar him from presidency by supporting Mr Boaki but people have rejected their influence regarding what the Anglo Americans did supporting warriors in the neighboring country Serra- Leon and wage civil war in Liberia up to 2005 in general, roughly,650,000 lost their lives and in majority women and children were rejected by their husbands who went to join rebel groups in the name of blood diamond’s revolution and land-mines also became a silent killer up to date. PEOPLE have SPOKEN Out, GOD bless Liberia, GOD bless ZAMBIA….
Well done young man: Pray to God to give you wisdom like HE did to Solomon.
Watch this, the only achievement he will show off after he is gone is that he tried at all cost to ensure that Liberia qualify to the world cup, am sure one tourist president is already preparing to go and attend the inauguration, you know who he be….
We all know one person who would pimp his mother if it meant that he would go to Weah’s inauguration as Zambia ‘s president!
Even soccer idols are now diversifying into politics.Some soccer stars have a large following way back more than some of the incumbent Presidents.Just watch who will be unseated next time.
It is possible to have responsible politics in Africa. Liberia has done it. Zambia can do it. Our way of winning by stealing votes, is not the way it is supposed to be done. It is not the way of democracy. It is the reason we end-up where we are today – questions without answers.
The fraud convict from chawama has destroyed Zambia…..
……. Continued from above. And the rich man from from the south who can not explain the source of his hidden treasures in some offshore accounts will never rule OUR Zambia.
Is this Mushota serious mwebantu
She’s a comedian. Meant to detract, mock and attract attention. She is just here to diss
He went to school. Under Five must go to school at least for twenty years and become a chairman at the section level, branch, MP and maybe, I said maybe he can become electable.
Is the chronic loser learning anything? Yes, Paradise Papers!