By Charles Mgbolu
Liberia is headed for a rematch of the 2023 presidential election on November 14 between incumbent George Weah and the last man standing in the opposition camp, Joseph Nyumah Boakai, after official results from the first round placed them neck and neck.
Weah, a former international footballer running for a second term, garnered 43.79% of the votes, while his closest rival in the race, 78-year-old Boakai, won 43.49% of the ballots, according to the National Electoral Commission.
None of the 18 other presidential candidates received more than 3% in the first round of voting in the West African nation on October 10.
Veteran contender
Boakai, a two-time contender for the presidency and the fountainhead of the opposition Unity Party, is known to have risen through the political ranks with willpower and steadfastness in the face of adversity.
Joseph Boakai was born in the remote village of Worsonga in Lofa County in northern Liberia. He is 78.
His personal website mentions how he overcame the challenges of poverty to get a formal education.
Boakai graduated from the University of Liberia in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration before attending Kansas State University in the US.
He cut his teeth in politics while serving as minister of agriculture under President Samuel Doe from 1983 to 1985. During that stint, Boakai chaired the 15-nation West African Rice Development Association.
His most influential political position so far came in 2006 when he was appointed the 29th vice-president of Liberia under President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. He held that post until 2018,
As vice-president, he led the Liberian Senate and also performed supervisory functions in several institutions and agencies, including the Liberia National Lotteries, Liberia Marketing Association, Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment, and the National Commission on Disarmament, Demobilisation, Resettlement and Reintegration.
As President Sirleaf’s tenure wound down, Boakai announced his intention to run for the presidency. He lost the October 10, 2017 election to Weah.
The incumbent
Compared to his challenger, Weah's road to the presidency wasn't paved with the experience of handling high-profile political assignments.
Weah was born in 1966 in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, and was raised in Clara Town, a slum in the city.
Until his late foray into politics, he served Liberia as a world-renowned footballer.
Weah, 57, was a striker in his prolific 18-year professional footballing career that ended in 2003. He represented Liberia internationally over a long period, scoring 18 goals and helping his country win 75 matches.
In 1995, he was named FIFA World Player of the Year and conferred the sheen of the Ballon d'Or, becoming the first and only player from Liberia to win these awards.
In 1989, 1994, and 1995, he was named African Footballer of the Year, and in 1996, African Player of the Century.
Following the ouster of President Charles Taylor in 2003, Weah returned to Liberia as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations.
In 2005, he ran for president as a member of the Congress for Democratic Change. After winning the first round of voting, he was defeated by Sirleaf of the Unity Party in the November 2005 run-off.
Weah faced Sirleaf again in the October 2011 presidential election, but this time as a vice-presidential candidate contesting the polls alongside presidential aspirant Winston Tubman.
The latter eventually withdrew from the race just before a run-off, citing electoral irregularities.
In December 2014, Weah ran for the position of senator for Montserrado County, which he won.
Two years later, Weah merged his party with a couple of other entities to form the Coalition for Democratic Change to consolidate the opposition ahead of the elections.
Run-off
The first round of voting in this year's election didn't throw up a frontrunner, suggesting that it's still anybody's race with a likely photo finish in the run-off.
The lack of a clear mandate reflects the frustration of the electorate at the state of the economy, which Weah has acknowledged through his repeated campaign pleas for more time to deliver on the promises of his government.
''Let me assure you that the state of our nation is strong. The state of our nation is stable. The state of our nation is peaceful and secure. We intend to keep it this way," he says.
Boakai, on the other hand, has been pitching his age and experience in governance as his calling cards. He has told voters these attributes would guide his decision-making while tackling the challenges currently confronting the nation.
''One thing I know very well is that all the talents and ideas we need to rebuild our country cannot be found within a single party, tribe, county, region, or religion. That's why I am committed to forming a government of inclusion,'' he says.
The day of reckoning is closing in on Liberians as they prepare for the challenging task of deciding who among the two can give them the governance they deserve.
