By Milcah Tanimu
Liberia is on the verge of a presidential run-off election as official provisional results show that the two leading candidates, incumbent President George Weah and opposition candidate Joseph Boakai, are in a neck-and-neck race. With over 94 percent of the ballots counted, Boakai, 78, secured 43.70 percent of the vote, while Weah, 57, a former international football star running for a second term, garnered 43.65 percent.
In the first round of voting on October 10, both candidates outperformed the other 18 presidential contenders. However, it appears that neither Weah nor Boakai will secure an absolute majority, necessitating a run-off election.
While nearly 93 percent of polling stations have completed ballot counting, the official results announcement will trigger the scheduling of a run-off, expected to take place two weeks later. The timing may be subject to potential appeals.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union have commended the Liberian government and the election commission for conducting a peaceful and well-participated vote. This election marks the first to be held since the United Nations concluded its peacekeeping mission in Liberia in 2018, a mission established after two civil wars claimed over 250,000 lives between 1989 and 2003.
