ANI
19 Nov 2023, 06:55 GMT+10
Monrovia [Liberia], November 19 (ANI): Liberia's President, George Weah, has conceded his defeat to opposition candidate Joseph Boakai after a closely contested run-off election, CNN reported.
Following the release of provisional results by the National Elections Commission (NEC), Weah, the former soccer star, gave a call to Boakai. The electoral commission reported that Boakai, a 78-year-old former vice president of Liberia, secured 51 per cent of the votes with nearly all ballots counted.
In an address to his country, Weah said, "The results announced tonight, though not final, indicate that Ambassador Joseph N. Boakai is in a lead that we cannot surpass. Therefore, a few minutes ago, I spoke with President-elect Joseph N. Boakai to congratulate him on his victory. Tonight, as we acknowledge the results, let us also recognise that the true winners of these elections are the people of Liberia."Weah, who assumed office in 2018, will step down in January, according to CNN.
The run-off became necessary when Weah won the October poll by a narrow margin of 7,000 votes over Boakai but fell short of the required 50 per cent threshold for an outright victory.
The outgoing president sought re-election for a second six-year term, amid a first tenure marked by corruption scandals and accusations of mismanagement. Despite the challenges, Weah has received praise for promptly conceding, ensuring a peaceful transfer of power--a crucial achievement forLiberia's fragile democracy, has faced civil war and the assassination of previous leaders.
Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu was among the early well-wishers, congratulating the President-elect while commending Weah's " terling example, undiluted patriotism, and statesmanship. He has defied the stereotype that peaceful transitions of power are untenable in West Africa," according to a statement from Nigeria's presidency, CNN reported. (ANI)
Get a daily dose of Sierra Leone Times news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Sierra Leone Times.
More InformationREDMOND, Washington: Microsoft President Brad Smith said there is no chance of super-intelligent artificial intelligence (AI) being developed within the ...
NEW YORK: A survey by Consumer Reports found that electric vehicles (EV) from 2021 through 2023 model years encountered nearly ...
LONDON, UK: In a report released this week, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) said that Singapore and Zurich tied for ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: This week, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it implemented a new aircraft certification policy, which requires ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: As businesses built more warehouses and accumulated machinery equipment, the U.S. economy grew faster than initially forecast in ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: This week, the White House said that Senior Biden administration officials met with the makers of respiratory syncytial ...
Tel Aviv [Israel], December 4 (ANI/TPS): Untold numbers of Israeli children will have lasting psychological scars from the trauma of ...
Brazil may boost supplies of industrial goods to the sanctions-hit country, Ambassador Rodrigo Baena Soares saysWestern sanctions on Russia intended ...
New Delhi [India], December 4 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday called on Kenyan President William Samoei Ruto, ...
Two army factions clashed in the West African country's capital late Thursday; at least two people were killedDeadly violence erupted ...
© Provided by Xinhua JIUQUAN, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- China helped Egypt send a remote-sensing satellite into orbit from the ...
Britain is continuing its efforts to have migrants seeking asylum in Britain sent instead to Rwanda to seek asylum there.In ...