George Weah, the president of Liberia, announced his defeat late on Friday night after opposition party candidate Joseph Boakai emerged ahead of him by a margin of just more than one percentage point in the runoff election.
Election officials said that, with 99.58% of the votes from Tuesday’s election counted, Boakai had 50.89% of the total, compared to Weah’s 49.11%. The outcome was a stark contrast to the election six years prior, in which Weah defeated Boakai handily in the second round.
“The Liberian people have spoken, and we have heard their voice,” Weah said in an address to the nation, adding that Boakai “is in a lead that we cannot surpass.”
“I urge you to follow my example and accept the result of the elections,” he said, adding that “our time will come again” in 2029.
There have been increasing worries about the erosion of democracy in West Africa, and this is reflected in the concession speech made in Liberia even before official results were revealed. Over the past few years, the region has witnessed a number of military takeovers, including one that occurred in Gabon earlier this year following a presidential election.
The 57-year-old former soccer player won the 2017 election on the basis of his pledge to combat poverty and promote infrastructural growth. This was the nation of West Africa’s first democratic handover of power since the end of the two civil wars that raged there from 1989 to 2003, resulting in the deaths of almost 250,000 people.
Liberians voted out President George Weah, who is also the candidate of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) in the landmark election.
The 78-year-old political veteran has 50.89% of the votes, while incumbent President George Weah has 49.11%.
