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Saturday, November 18, 2023

Liberia’s George Weah on brink of losing re-election bid

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

• November 17, 2023
GEORGE WEAH AND JOSEPH BOAKAI
GEORGE WEAH AND JOSEPH BOAKAI

Liberian President, George Weah, is losing his bid for a return to office after the country’s National Election Commission officials released nearly all the results from this week’s runoff election.

This came after opposition candidate Joseph Boakai maintained a slim lead in the Liberian presidential election in the official result released from more than 99% of the polling stations.

Mr Boakai, 78, has 50.89% of the votes, while Mr Weah, who is seeking a second term in office, has 49.11%.

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

But on Friday, electoral officials declared that there would be a re-run in one county before the actual winner of the exercise is declared.

They announced that the vote would be reheld on Saturday in Nimba County, where the number of ballots cast at one polling station exceeded the number of registered voters.

The announcement has sparked wide celebrations in the country’s capital city of Monrovia, as supporters of Mr Boakai continue to gather at his party’s headquarters with the conviction that he had already won the election.

There has been no official statement from either of the two candidates in the election.

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