The Liberian presidential race has ended in a runoff as the two leading candidates, President George Weah and Joseph Boakai, were seen in a fierce contest as they did not secure majority votes to be coronated a winner.
A run-off election is expected to be held next month in Liberia following a photo finish between President George Weah and his main political contender, Joseph Boakai.
President Weah polled 43.83% of the vote, and Mr. Boakai, a former vice president, got 43.44%.
The October 10 elections were described as the tightest presidential contest in Liberia since a civil war ended about two decades ago.
Though a run-off was predicted, Mr. Boakai, 78, has performed creditably well by coming close to Mr. Weah’s tally.
A second round was expected as neither candidate got more than 50% of the vote in the first round.
The run-off is said to take place on November 14, the head of the electoral commission, Davidetta Browne, said after announcing the final presidential results.
Mr. Boakai trailed Mr. Weah in the first round of voting in the 2017 election and lost a run-off by a huge margin.
He challenged this election under the slogan “Rescue” as he accused Mr. Weah, a 57-year-old former international football star, of taking Liberia downhill during his maiden term.
The president debunked Mr. Boakai’s allegations, saying that he has made significant achievements, including introducing free tuition for university students.
At a press conference last week, Mr. Boakai appealed to fellow opposition candidates to join the “rescue team for a resounding victory”.
“We are reaching out to our brothers and sisters in the opposition and Liberians in general to join us in this noble mission of making our country breathe freely again.”
Mr. Boakai was a vice president in the government of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who became president after the end of a brutal civil war about 20 years ago.
He assured that if he were elected president, he would form a “government of inclusion that truly cuts across the political, social, and religious diversity of the citizens”.
None of the 18 other candidates polled more than 3% of the valid votes cast.
By Lawrence Odoom
