By Giwa Suliat Bolaji (SIWES student, D S Adegbenro ICT Polytechnic)
Liberia’s President George Weah acknowledged his defeat to opposition leader Joseph Boakai on Friday evening as nearly complete returns showed Boakai leading with 50.89 percent of the vote.
Weah, a football legend, conceded graciously, stating, Tonight, the CDC (party) has lost the election, but Liberia has won.
Boakai, 78, secured victory with over 28,000 votes, and Weah, with 49.11 percent of the votes, acknowledged the deep division revealed by the closely contested results.
Boakai’s supporters celebrated in Monrovia as the elections marked a significant moment following the end of the UN’s 2018 peacekeeping mission in Liberia, which followed two civil wars.
Boakai, a former vice president, focused on his experience and pledged to rescue Liberia by addressing issues such as illicit drugs, increased poverty, and a damaged international image.
