Liberia’s Tight Election Spurs Run-off Expectations

As the country prepares for a potential run-off election against President George Weah, the opposition candidate in Liberia, Joseph Boakai, is actively involved in smaller political groups.

The two candidates are virtually tied according to preliminary results from 99.5% of the 5,890 polling places, with Weah having 43.8% of the vote and Boakai following at 43.5%.

The election commission must declare the results by October 25. Boakai, who previously held the position of vice-president under former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, vowed to build an inclusive government that reflected the diversity of the populace’s politics, socioeconomic structure, and religious beliefs.

Although his ruling Coalition for Democratic Change has vowed to accept the final results, President Weah has not yet commented on the preliminary results.