In the recent Liberian presidential election, opposition candidate Joseph Boakai has emerged as the frontrunner, maintaining a slim lead over incumbent President George Weah. With official results from more than 99% of polling stations announced, Boakai has secured 50.89% of the votes, while Weah trails behind with 49.11%. This places Boakai ahead by a margin of over 28,000 votes, and his supporters have already started celebrating in the capital city, Monrovia.
The latest announcement has ignited optimism among Boakai’s party members and followers, who have gathered at the party headquarters in Monrovia, confident that their candidate will emerge victorious. Chants of “we beat the Buga dancer”, a reference to a campaign song associated with Weah, can be heard as his supporters demand that he step down. Notably, neither candidate has issued a formal statement in response to the results.
The National Elections Commission has confirmed that the results from 99.58% of the polling stations have been released so far, with only one polling station requiring a re-run on Saturday. Additionally, discrepancies in the results from 20 other stations are currently under investigation. It is worth mentioning that the run-off election between Boakai and Weah was necessitated because neither candidate obtained more than 50% of the vote during the first round last month, in which there were 18 other candidates. Weah had obtained a narrow lead of 7,000 votes in the initial round.
This election has been closely watched as it marks the tightest presidential contest in Liberia since the end of the civil war two decades ago. Boakai’s campaign mainly focused on addressing what he termed as “mismanagement” by Weah’s administration and highlighting the need for national recovery. In response, the president dismissed Boakai’s allegations, asserting that his administration had achieved significant progress, such as implementing free tuition for university students.
The regional bloc, Ecowas, which deployed observers to monitor the run-off election, has largely characterized it as peaceful. However, there were some isolated incidents resulting in injuries and hospitalizations in the provinces of Lofa, Nimba, Bong, and Montserrado, according to reports. Overall, the conduct of the election has generated hope and enthusiasm among the Liberian people, who eagerly anticipate the final results, which are expected to be certified soon.
