Midrand – Former international footballer George Weah will face a runoff for Liberia’s presidency against vice-president, Joseph Boakai on November 7, Liberia’s electoral commission announced.
With tallies in from 95.6 percent of polling stations, Weah took 39 percent of the votes and Boakai 29.1 percent, both well short of the 50 percent barrier required to win outright from the first round of voting held last Tuesday, Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported on Monday.
Outgoing Liberian President Ellen Sirleaf Johnson. File picture: AP
The winner of the second round of voting will replace Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s first elected female head of state, who is stepping down as president after a maximum of two terms.
According to the chairman of Liberia’s National Elections Commission, 1 550 923 votes had been counted following a 74.52 percent turnout in the West African nation.
This will be Liberia’s first peaceful transfer of power in more than seven decades.
Three other candidates who took a significant share of the vote will now decide which runoff contender they will direct their supporters to follow, holding significant influence over the final results.