Liberians vote out President Weah as opposition candidate, Boakai on course to victory

Opposition candidate, Joseph Boakai, is set for victory in the Liberian presidential election after the latest tranche of results were announced by the electoral commission on Friday.

Liberians voted out President George Weah, who is also the candidate of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) in the landmark election.

The 78-year-old political veteran has 50.89% of the votes, while incumbent President George Weah has 49.11%.

That represents a lead of more than 28,000 votes, with nearly all the ballots accounted for.

The latest results have sparked celebrations in the capital, Monrovia.

Boakai’s supporters have been gathering at his party’s headquarters in the city, convinced that he has won the election.

They have been shouting for President Weah to go and saying “we beat the Buga dancer”, referring to a song that became associated with his campaign.

There have been no formal statements from either of the candidates.

The electoral commission says that it has announced the results from 99.58% of the polling stations.

The vote at one polling station needed to be re-run on Saturday and discrepancies were noticed in results from 20 others, which needed to be investigated, National Elections Commission chairperson, Davidetta Browne Lansanah said.

This is the fourth election Liberia is holding in its recent history (since the end of its civil war).

A Nigerian national and resident of Liberia told SaharaReporters on Friday that the Liberians revolutionised the presidential election and achieved a feat which could not be achieved during Nigeria’s last general elections.

He said, “This nation (Liberia) has written a new page for Africa. They have revolutionised the untraditional approach of Africa politics that incumbents or some elites are decision makers.”

“How I wish all Nigerians will embrace the power of their vote and use it outrightly. President George Weah was voted out of power, denied of a second term in office because the masses decided. What a way of writing the future,” he added