Liberia elections: Former vice president Boakai beats Weah
Liberian president, George Weah, conceded defeat late Friday after knife-edge election results were read. The football Star lost to 78-year-old Boakai, the man who served under former president, Erleen John Sirleaf, as vice president.
The Liberian election, considered by Observers as a test of democracy in the West African state, proved to be one of the most credible in recent times. Observers like the European Union remarked that the polls took place in a calm and respectful atmosphere.
The election run-off was spectacular with results read late Friday evening, both candidates running neck-to-neck. The opposition leader won 50.89 percent of the votes, while the 57-year-old former footballer, George Weah had 49.11 percent.
“This is a time for graciousness in defeat, a time to place our country above party, and patriotism above personal interest,” George Weah said in a radio broadcast on Friday night.
Weah’s defeat is the first time in decades that an incumbent has lost the polls after serving their first mandate. However, as he puts it, “Liberians have won” and democracy is maintained.
