Liberia's Vice President Joseph Boakai (Left) and former international
footballer George Weah (right). The two will face off in the runoff.
PHOTO | JOEL SAGET | AFP
Liberians choose a new leader Tuesday in a run-off between Vice
President Joseph Boakai and football icon George Weah, a vote that will
mark the country's first democratic transition since 1944.
After
seven weeks of delays caused by legal complaints lodged by Boakai's
ruling Unity Party against the electoral commission, polling stations
are due to open at 8:00 am (0800 GMT) and close at 6:00 pm for Liberia's
2.1 million registered voters.
Weah's Coalition for
Democratic Change (CDC) has urged voters not to drink too much on
Christmas Day and to get up early on the 26th to cast their ballots in
what National Elections Commission (NEC) chairman Francis Korkoya has
said is "one sacrifice for the good of our democracy and country."
They
will choose a successor to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who is due
to step down in January after 12 years at the helm, resurrecting the
West African nation from the ashes of civil war (1989-2003) and
overseeing the response to the Ebola crisis (2014-16).
In
the first round of voting on October 10, Weah topped the poll with 38.4
per cent while Boakai came second with 28.8 per cent, triggering a
run-off as neither made it past the 50 per cent needed to win outright.
"It's
too close to call," said Ibrahim Al-Bakri Nyei, a Liberian political
analyst at London's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS),
saying Weah was in a similar position to 2005 when he lost despite
widespread predictions of victory.
Given the date of the vote, "it's likely to have a lower turnout than the first one," he predicted.
Long road to run-off
Praising
a violence-free electoral process, Sirleaf said in a recent speech that
"the ballot box has replaced bullets and electoral disputes are settled
through the courts".
Boakai's Unity Party joined
forces with the opposition Liberty Party to challenge what he said were
"massive irregularities and fraud" in the results, but the Supreme Court
found the allegations could not be proved, and observers had declared
the vote credible.
A final attempt to stay the vote and
hand responsibility for a new date to parliament was dismissed Thursday
by the country's top court.
Meanwhile horse-trading
for the support of the 18 unlucky presidential candidates in the first
round has resulted in few certainties save for Weah's endorsement by
warlord-turned-preacher Prince Johnson, who is extremely popular in the
populous county of Nimba.
Ex-footballer Weah was also
pictured at a public event with Sirleaf on Thursday, heightening
speculation that she will endorse him over the vice president she served
with for 12 years.
Weah has also polled well in Bong
county, the fiefdom of Liberian warlord and former president Charles
Taylor and his ex-wife, Jewel Howard-Taylor, who is the former
footballer's vice-presidential pick.
Charles Taylor is
currently serving a 50-year sentence in Britain for war crimes committed
in neighbouring Sierra Leone, but his presence has loomed over the
election.
Challenging economy
As
Liberia's most famous son, Weah attracts huge crowds and has a faithful
youth following in a country where a fifth of the electorate is aged 18
to 22, but he is criticised for issuing vague promises and for his long
absences from the nation.
Weah held a boisterous final rally in Monrovia on Saturday.
"You
know I've been in competitions — tough ones too and I came out
victorious. So I know Boakai cannot defeat me," Weah said. "I have the
people on my side."
While ordinary Liberians are
grateful peace has held through Sirleaf's two terms in office, living
standards remain dire for most and have become the focus of the
campaign, giving Boakai a difficult path to tread after serving at her
side.
He faces accusations the government did too
little on corruption and focussed on seeking donor funds rather than
tackling issues at home.
Nonetheless, Boakai said Sunday he was "very, very confident" of winning, adding: "Victory is mine".
Whoever
wins the vote faces an economy battered by slumped commodity prices for
its main exports rubber and iron ore, and a rapidly depreciating
currency.
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