Thursday, December 26, 2024

Liberians vote for new president in crucial election

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Isaac Kaledzi
Isaac Kaledzihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Kaledzi
Isaac Kaledzi is an experienced and award winning journalist from Ghana. He has worked for several media brands both in Ghana and on the International scene. Isaac Kaledzi is currently serving as an African Correspondent for DW.

Liberians are voting on Tuesday in a general election that would enable them to decide their new president.

Incumbent president George Weah, 57, is making a bid for a second term after his first term of six years.

His main challenger is former Deputy President Joseph Boakai, 78 who is pushing for a change.

Both candidates are confident of victory but election watchers say it would be fiercely contested. Weah defeated Joseph Boakai, in a runoff in 2017.

While President Weah says he has kept Liberia stable and has improved education, his rival Mr Boakai said the West African state has gone downhill under Weah.

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“I’m proud of the record of achievement in a very difficult period. We were able to do much with less resources and solve many structural problems,” Weah told cheering supporters at the end of campaigning.

When President Weah was elected in 2017 it was the country’s first democratic change of power in over 70 years.

Weah is running against 19 other presidential candidates in this election and the winner must obtain 50% of votes cast, plus at least one more vote.

This will be the first time that a generation of young voters, born in peace-time Liberia, will vote for a president.

Voters will also be selecting members of the 73-seat lower house, and half of the 30-member senate.

About 2.4 million people have registered to vote, with polls opening at 08:00 GMT.

A brutal civil war, which killed an estimated 250,000 people, ended two decades ago.

Liberia’s Weah angry with ‘rude citizens’ asking him for money

Source: Africafeeds.com

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