New President to emerge in Liberia

Liberian President will be known today following Tuesday’s presidential runoff election.  

Liberia set today’s date for the announcement of official provisional results say The National Elections Commission (NEC).

The run-off was between former FIFA World Football of the Year Senator George Weah and Vice President Joseph Boakai. The winner will succeed outgoing President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.

Spokesman Henry Flomo who announced the date yesterday, said tallying of votes was ongoing at different centres across the country.

Preliminary results trickling in from collation centres across the country through radio stations yesterday indicated that Weah was in early lead.

 Report at 7.30 p.m. Liberian time (1930 GMT), Weah was ahead in three counties (Bomi, Margibi and Grand Bassa) with over 50 per cent of the votes.

The ECOWAS Election Observation Mission to Liberia called on NEC to “work diligently and expedite action on the proclamation of results to avoid creating anxiety’’.

Head of the mission and former President of Ghana John Mahama made the call at a news conference in Monrovia last night.

UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has sent former President Olusegun Obasanjo to Liberia to support a peaceful transfer power to a democratically-elected president.

Guterres, who announced this yesterday in New York through his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, also welcomed the peaceful conduct of the second round of the presidential election in Liberia.

“The Secretary-General hopes that the will of the Liberian electorate will be respected and that a seamless transfer of power will take place within constitutional timelines,” the statement said.