Ex-international footballer Weah was sworn in on Monday at a stadium surrounded by ecstatic supporters, and filled some key ministerial posts later the same day.

In his inaugural speech, Weah vowed to crack down on entrenched corruption and encourage the private sector.

But the picks from his party come from outside the establishment and do not have significant government experience, potentially setting up a struggle with entrenched interests in the national congress.

The lack of women so far in the cabinet may also raise eyebrows after 12 years under Sirleaf, who pushed for women to enter public life and strengthened protections against abuse and female genital mutilation as her final act in office.

Weah’s right-hand man is the chairman of his Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) party, Nathaniel McGill, who becomes minister of state and chief of staff.

He guided the president through a bruising electoral campaign last year and was already his top aide.

Senior CDC figure Samuel Tweah becomes finance secretary, while Liberian lawyer Charles Gibson, a friend of Weah’s, becomes Justice Minister.

Sam Mannah, the president’s press aide from his years as a senator, becomes his press secretary.

Outgoing president Sirleaf has left her mark, however, with the appointment of former Unity Party senator Gbehzohngar Findley to the key post of foreign minister.

Findley began 2017’s presidential campaign supporting Sirleaf’s vice-president, Joseph Boakai, who lost to Weah in December.

But he switched allegiance in August, resigned from the party and began openly backing Weah as it became clear that Sirleaf would not campaign for Boakai.

Sirleaf faced accusations she secretly supported Weah, eventually leading to her expulsion from the Unity Party last month.

Elsewhere, the chief of staff of Liberia’s armed forces, Major General Daniel Ziankhan, becomes defence minister, while his deputy, Brigadier General Charles Johnson, succeeds him in the position.

Johnson captained the army team that played Weah’s veterans’ side in a friendly game on Saturday, when he told AFP that Weah was “already started to hear some of the challenges that we are experiencing.”

Meanwhile members of Sirleaf’s transition team including Information Minister Eugene Nagbe, Education Minister George Werner, Sirleaf’s stepson Varney Sirleaf, and the heads of the police and government services, remain in their posts for now.

The handover from Sirleaf to Weah represents Liberia’s first democratic transfer of power since 1944, and cements impressions Liberia has finally moved on from a war that killed around a quarter of a million people between 1989 and 2003.

–

Source: AFP

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President Nana Addo indicated that Liberia’s newly elected President’s inauguration “is an extremely important development in Liberian history, and in West African history.”

“For us, in West Africa, I think the democratic consolidation that so many of us are seeking is taking place, and, that democracy is gradually being entrenched stronger and stronger in the body politic of our different states,” he added.

President Akufo-Addo made this comment when he interacted with journalists, after attending the swearing in ceremony of President George Oppong Weah, at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex, in Monrovia.

The swearing-in ceremony saw West African Presidents such as, President Allasane Ouattara of Cote d’Ivoire; Togolese President; Faure Gnassingbe, President of Niger; Mahamadou Issoufou, Senegalese President; Macky Sall, Guinean President; Alpha Conde, and the President of Mali; Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, among others.

President Nana Addo also urged Mr. Weah to build on the legacy bequeathed to him by his predecessor, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, saying “President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was preoccupied with establishing the basic things after the civil war. She’s been able to that. Now it is a question of building on them to grow the Liberian economy, so that all of these young people who voted for him, who are out of work, can find work to do in the very near future.”

In his inaugural address, President George Oppong Weah pledged to build on the foundation his predecessor laid.

Ghana’s two former Presidents, John Dramani Mahama and Jerry John Rawlings, were among the dignitaries who attended the event.

Who is George Weah?

Mr. Weah, who was raised in a slum in Liberia’s capital Monrovia, starred at top-flight European football clubs Paris St-Germain (PSG) and AC Milan, before ending his career in England with brief stays at Chelsea and Manchester City.

He is the only African footballer to have won both Fifa World Player of the Year and the prestigious Ballon D’Or.

He entered politics after his retirement from the game in 2002, and had served as a senator in Liberia’s Parliament before becoming President.

His former club, PSG, congratulated him on Twitter.

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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A former international football legend, George Weah replaces Africa’s first elected female head of state, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

It’s Liberia’s first transition between democratically-elected leaders since 1944.

Also present are heads of state and several celebrity football players.

Scroll down through Africa Live for all this morning’s news from Monrovia.

George Weah has begun his presidency with a rousing call to all Liberians – promising to do “more than his share” in advancing the country.

However, he warned he was unable to do it alone.

Speaking at the Samuel Doe Stadium in the capital, Monrovia, he said:

I will do more than my fair share to meet your expectations – but I ask you to meet mine, for I cannot do this alone.”

Mr Weah also used his inaugural speech to praise Liberia’s strong ties with countries like the US and China, stressing their importance in helping reach the country’s full potential.

He also spoke of the European Union, telling the tens of thousands who had gathered to watch him become president today that the continent would “always have a special place in my heart”.

Mr Weah played football at clubs in France and the UK during the late 1980s and 1990s, becoming the first African to win the coveted Fifa World Player of the Year and Ballon d’Or.

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Source: BBC

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Weah will become the 25th president of the West African nation, taking power from President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf after 12 years, with expectations running sky-high among Liberians that he will deliver on his promises of jobs and better schools.

The inauguration is due to begin at 09.45 in Samuel Kanyon Doe stadium near the capital, Monrovia, with heads of state from Ghana, Mali, Nigeria and Togo expected to attend along with friends and former colleagues from his football years.

Weah played for a string of top-flight European teams in the 1990s and was crowned the world’s best player by FIFA and won the coveted Ballon d’Or prize, the only African to have achieved this.

After losing his first run at the presidency to Sirleaf in 2005, he has spent the last 13 years attempting to gain the political credibility to match his wild popularity at home, becoming a senator in 2014.

Volunteers were putting the final touches to decorations and giving the streets a final lick of paint on Sunday, and many expressed hope the everyday difficulty of their lives would change.

“It’s my very first time to see Liberia transferring power peacefully. People expect real democracy,” said Samuel Harmon, 30, a street trader.

“The expectation of the people and the country is all up to him (Weah). Everybody believes that if he fails us, the majority will be disappointed with politics,” he added.

Under pressure

Sirleaf will be remembered for maintaining peace after the harrowing 1989-2003 civil war left an estimated 250 000 dead. But extreme poverty remains pervasive and Liberia ranks near bottom in international rankings for health, education and development.

At a church service attended by Sirleaf and Weah on Sunday, the pair presented a united front following a bruising election campaign in which Sirleaf’s longtime vice-president Joseph Boakai failed to convince as her successor while alleging fraud had marred the ballot.

Legal proceedings lodged by Boakai delayed a run-off vote and the transition period, meaning Weah has had less than a month to prepare for government rather than the three months initially scheduled.

Sirleaf told AFP the inauguration “implies continuity; it implies meeting the challenges,” as she left the event.

Weah faces the challenges of a depressed export economy highly reliant on rubber and iron ore, and outsized expectations he can turn the country around within months and provide jobs for the overwhelmingly young population.

More than 60 percent of Liberia’s 4.6-million citizens are under 25, and many voted for Weah in the expectation he would quickly boost employment.

He told journalists on Saturday at a football game — a friendly with the army — that his first priority was keeping the peace, and hit out at critics who say he is unqualified for the position.

“I am a human being, I strive to be excellent, and I can be successful,” Weah said.

“When I work hard I believe what I believe in and I showed I could persevere,” he added, referring to early disbelief amongst his countrymen that he could make it in the top European leagues.

Experts are concerned however that hopes of tackling rampant corruption and bringing technocratic expertise into his cabinet are at risk from the need to repay favours.

“He is under pressure from various constituencies and unlikely to nominate a cabinet of experts as he claimed he would do shortly after his electoral success,” said Malte Liewerscheidt, Senior Africa Analyst at global risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft.

The rumoured names were “clearly tilted towards re-paying political and personal debts of gratitude, suggesting continuity rather than a new dawn in Liberian politics,” he wrote in a briefing note.

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Source: News 24

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Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is accused of encouraging people to vote against her vice-president, Joseph Boakai.

Former footballer George Weah won the presidential elections in December, defeating Mr Boakai.

Ms Sirleaf, who is a Nobel Peace Prize winner and Africa’s first elected woman president, could not stand again.

A spokesman for the governing Unity Party said Ms Sirleaf had violated the party’s constitution as she was seen campaigning with Mr Weah, who was running under the Coalition for Democratic Change banner.

Ms Sirleaf has not yet commented.

Mr Weah will be sworn in later this month. It will be the first smooth transfer of power since 1944 in Liberia, which was founded by freed US slaves in the 19th Century.

Ms Sirleaf gained popularity at home and abroad for helping to bring stability to her country after years of civil war.

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Source: BBC

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Mr. Weah beat his opponent Joseph Boakai with more than 60% of the votes in Tuesday’s run-off election.

While expressing the hope that the just ended polls will lead to an improvement of living standards of Liberians, the President observed that the election had also “strengthened the frontiers of democracy in Liberia”

The President also commended Mr. Weah’s opponent, Boakai, who is currently Liberia’s Vice President for the “maturity” exhibited during his campaign.

“Best wishes for the success of President-elect George Weah, and Vice President –elect, Jewel Taylor,” he added.

Mr. Weah will succeed Africa’s first elected female President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in Liberia’s first democratic handover in decades.

Who is George Weah?

Mr. Weah, who was raised in a slum in Liberia’s capital Monrovia, starred at top-flight European football clubs Paris St-Germain (PSG) and AC Milan, before ending his career in England with brief stays at Chelsea and Manchester City.

He is the only African footballer to have won both Fifa World Player of the Year and the prestigious Ballon D’Or.

He entered politics after his retirement from the game in 2002 and is currently a senator in Liberia’s parliament.

His former club, PSG, congratulated him on Twitter.

Background

Liberia, founded by freed US slaves in the 19th Century, has not had a smooth transfer of power from one elected president to another since 1944.

Mrs Sirleaf defeated Mr Weah in the presidential election run-off in 2005 and took office a year later, after the end of a brutal civil war that saw President Charles Taylor forced out by rebels.

Taylor is now serving a 50-year prison sentence in the UK for war crimes related to the conflict in neighbouring Sierra Leone.

This time Mr Weah’s campaign – under the Coalition for Democratic Change banner – appealed to the youth vote, while incumbent Vice-President Boakai was seen as old and out of touch.

But Mr Weah’s election is not without controversy, as his running mate was Jewel Taylor, former wife of the jailed president.

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By: Marian Ansah with files from BBC/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The National Elections Commission said that with 98.1% of ballots counted, Mr Weah had won 61.5% of the vote.

Opponent Joseph Boakai is far behind with 38.5%.

He will succeed Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s first elected female president. She defeated Mr Weah in the presidential election run-off in 2005, after the end of a brutal civil war.

Mr Weah, 51, won the first round in October with 38.4% of the vote, compared with the 28.8% of Mr Boakai, 73. His failure to secure an outright majority forced a run-off.

Mr Weah played for a string of football clubs, including AC Milan and Paris St-Germain, and is the only African footballer to have won Fifa World Player of the Year and the coveted Ballon D’Or, in 1995.

He entered politics after his retirement in 2002 and is currently a senator in Liberia’s parliament.

–

Source: BBC

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Unofficial results broadcast by local media suggest that ex-football star George Weah is ahead of Vice-President Joseph Boakai following Monday’s vote.

The electoral commission has warned against “premature pronouncements”.

Armed police have been deployed around its headquarters in the capital, Monrovia, ahead of the release of official results.

However, the mood in Monrovia is calm, and people are eagerly awaiting the results, reports the BBC’s Jonathan Paye-Layleh from the city.

“The Liberian people clearly made their choice… and all together we are very confident in the result of the electoral process,” Mr Weah said on Wednesday.

His supporters had planned a victory parade, but dropped the idea after foreign observers urged them to wait for the official results, our correspondent says.

Mr Weah, 51, won the first round in October with 38.4% of the vote, compared with the 28.8% of Mr Boakai, 73.

His failure to secure an outright majority forced a run-off.

Mr Weah played for a string football clubs, including AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain, and is the only African footballer to have won Fifa World Player of the Year and the coveted Ballon D’Or in 1995.

He entered politics after his retirement in 2002 and is currently a senator in Liberia’s parliament.

The winner of the election will succeed Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s first elected female president.

She defeated Mr Weah in the presidential election run-off in 2005, after the end of a brutal civil war.

Liberia, founded by freed US slaves in the 19th Century, has not had a smooth transfer of power from one elected president to another in more than 70 years.

Legal challenges delayed the vote to replace Ms Sirleaf, and turnout seemed to have been low.

More than two million people were eligible to cast their ballots in the nation of 4.6 million people.

Ms Sirleaf took office in 2006, after her predecessor, Charles Taylor, was forced out by rebels in 2003, ending a long civil war.

Taylor is serving a 50-year prison sentence in the UK for war crimes related to the conflict in neighbouring Sierra Leone.

–

Source: BBC

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He reiterated at separate meetings with the presidential flag-bearers, who emerged from the inconclusive first round balloting of 10th October that “As I have always said, the responsibility for a successful election is the primary responsibility of the citizens of a country; international observers only facilitate the process.”

Noting that “a lot of water has passed under the bridge to test Liberia’s democratic credentials,” a reference to the legal dispute that followed the first round vote, which had to be settled by the Supreme Court. The Head of Mission told the two contestants that international observers had sacrificed their end-of-year celebrations in the interest of Liberia and democracy in the region.

He therefore, called on all political actors in the country to play by the rules and conduct themselves responsibly. In case of any disputes, he said, any aggrieved party should seek redress through legal and constitutional means and not resort to violence.

The Ghanaian statesman congratulated the ECOWAS Commission for deploying a Technical Team to support the Liberia’s National Elections Commission (NEC) in cleaning up the contentious Voter’s Register, and acknowledged the tireless efforts of the ECOWAS Special Representative to Liberia, Ambassador Babatunde Ajisomo.

He expressed his optimism that following compliance with the Supreme Court’s decisions and the recommendations of the ECOWAS Technical Team, the stage was now set for the election to go ahead.

Both candidates assured the Head of the ECOWAS Mission of their commitment to respect the electoral codes. On his part, he wished the two candidates well in the political contest.

The NEC Chairman Jerome Korkoya, at a subsequent meeting with the ECOWAS Head of Mission, informed the meeting that the hard copies of the final registration roll (FRR) were being provided to the two political parties in addition to the public display of the document to guide voters on Election Day. The NEC Chair explained that electronic copies of FRR were not being provided in order to avoid tampering with the sensitive document.

In continuation of his engagements on Monday, the Head of ECOWAS Mission also received heads of other International Observation Group for purpose of information and experience sharing. Represented at the meeting were the African Union, European Union, Carter Center, the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA), and the US National Democratic Institute (NDI), co-led by Nigeria’s former President Goodluck Jonathan.

After listening to the presentation by the ECOWAS Technical Team, the international observers commended ECOWAS for its contribution and support towards the resolution of the politico-legal dispute, noting that while the Voter’s Roll might not be perfect, it is a strong basis for the conduct of a credible election.

The Head of ECOWAS Mission also addressed the 39 ECOWAS short-term observers on Monday before their deployment to different Liberian Counties for the Tuesday’s election.

He told them that “beyond our moral support for our Liberian brothers and sisters, our duty as observers is to ensure that international standards are adhered to during the conduct of the 26 December 2017 run-off Presidential election.”

“Having suffered the horrors of a brutal civil war and the devastation of the Ebola pandemic, with a weak economy and high youth unemployment, Liberia today needs the concerted effort of all her citizens for the enormous task of reconstruction and nation building,” he said.

According to him, “The urgency of this task is further brought to the fore by the imminent departure of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) that has been here for the past 14 years. Thus, it is my hope that the political class will once again galvanise the citizenry, to come out en masse and peacefully cast their vote to enable this country proceed with its reconstruction.”

In her remarks, the ECOWAS Commissioner of Political Affairs, Peace and Security Mrs Halima Ahmed, urged the observer to be professional, neutral and unbiased in their task.

The election will produce Liberia’s next president to replace out-going President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, a Nobel Laureate and Africa’s first democratically elected female president. Her constitutionally allowed two-terms end by 16 January 2018.
–
By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Mr Weah, 51, won the first round, but did not secure the required 50% of the vote for an outright victory.

Legal challenges delayed the vote to replace Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s first elected female president.

Liberia, which was founded by freed US slaves in the 19th Century, has not had a smooth transfer of power in 73 years.

Polls across Liberia opened at 08:00 GMT and will close at 18:00.

More than two million people are eligible to cast their ballots.

Who are the contenders?
Mr Boakai, 73, has been Liberia’s vice-president for 12 years but does not seem to enjoy the support of his boss, the BBC’s Umaru Fofana reports from the capital, Monrovia.

The candidate has described himself as being like a limousine idly parked for years in a garage and who is now ready to hit the road.

Can Liberia’s deputy leader succeed his boss?
Meanwhile, Mr Weah, the former world footballer of the year, is hoping for a third time lucky.

He defeated Ms Johnson-Sirleaf in the first round in 2005 but lost to her in the subsequent run-off. In the following election run-off, in 2011, when he ran as a running mate to the opposition candidate, his coalition boycotted the vote, citing irregularities.

Why was the vote delayed?
A representative for the opposition Liberty Party, Charles Brumskine, who came third in October’s first round, challenged the result, saying it had been marred by “massive fraud and irregularities”.

But earlier this month the Supreme Court ruled that evidence of fraud was insufficient to merit a re-run of the opening round.
The verdict meant that the run-off – which had initially been set for 7 November – could go ahead.

Why is the election important?
This will be the first time for many generations that Liberians witness a transfer of power from one elected leader to another.

Outgoing President Sirleaf has praised a violence-free electoral process, saying that “the ballot box has replaced bullets and electoral disputes are settled through the courts”.

Ms Sirleaf took office in 2006, after her predecessor, Charles Taylor, was forced out by rebels in 2003, ending a long civil war.

Taylor is currently serving a 50-year prison sentence in the UK for war crimes related to the conflict in neighbouring Sierra Leone.

The results of the run-off are due to be announced within four days.

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Source: BBC

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