Liberia is moving toward a second round of voting in a presidential election, with outgoing incumbent George Weah and his opponent Joseph Boakai in a closely contested race, as official provisional results on Tuesday indicated a near tie between them.
As more than 94 percent of the ballots have been tallied, 78-year-old Boakai secured 43.70 percent of the votes, while Weah, aged 57 and a former international footballer seeking re-election, garnered 43.65 percent, as per the results released by the national electoral commission.
Both candidates significantly outpaced the 18 other presidential contenders during the initial round of voting in the West African nation on October 10.
The electoral commission has announced that ballot counting is now finished in almost 93 percent of polling stations, as indicated on its website.
These statistics suggest that neither Weah nor Boakai are poised to attain sufficient votes for an outright majority, thus necessitating a second round of elections.
A run-off election is scheduled for two weeks following the announcement of official results, although potential appeals may lead to a delay in the proceedings.
The West African regional bloc ECOWAS and the African Union have extended their congratulations to the Liberian government and the election commission for effectively conducting a peaceful election characterized by a significant voter turnout.
This election marked the first to be conducted since the conclusion of the United Nations’ peacekeeping mission in Liberia in 2018.
The mission was established in response to the devastating toll of over 250,000 lives lost during two civil wars that ravaged Liberia from 1989 to 2003.
