In Liberia, former president and world-renowned football star George Weah conceded defeat in the second round of the presidential election this morning. The Presidency of Liberia announced on the 14th that it had congratulated opposition leader and former vice president Joseph Boakai.
Reports state that His Excellency Dr. George Manneh Weah, the President of the Republic, extended his congratulations to former Vice President Joseph N. Boakai as the winner. A presidential statement noted that evaluations were completed regarding the second round of the 2023 presidential election.
According to the official note, after provisional results were released, a phone call was placed to Mr. Boakai. The document indicated that the decision was approved by the National Elections Commission on Friday, November 17, 2023.
The Chief Executive of Liberia confirmed that Liberians were the victors of the elections and urged supporters to accept the results, the Presidency stated.
Weah extended his congratulations to his opponent after the National Elections Commission published preliminary results on Friday night, following the accounting of 99.58% of the 5,890 polling stations nationwide.
The findings showed Boakai leading with 50.89% of the votes (814,212), while Weah trailed with 49.11% (785,778).
Two candidates competed in the second round on November 14. Neither surpassed the 50% mark of the total votes. The October 10 elections had already been highly contested.
Weah had taken first place in the initial round with 43.83% of the vote (804,087), while Boakai followed closely in second with 43.44% (796,961).
Just over 2.47 million registered voters were called to vote again on a day described as quiet by authorities, with no major incidents reported.
Weah, aged 57, heads the Coalition for Democratic Change and sought a second term amid an economic crisis and corruption accusations directed at the government.
Boakai, 78, leads the Unity Party and portrays himself as an experienced statesman capable of addressing the country’s challenges where rivals have faltered.
The election drew international attention, with missions from the European Union and the African Union observing the process.
With Liberia’s population around five million, the country is Africa’s oldest republic and bears the lasting impact of civil conflicts that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. Liberia also faced the health and economic strains of regional crises, including the Ebola outbreak and the broader effects of global events such as the russian situation in Ukraine, which influenced food prices and living costs in recent years.