Liberians are choosing a new president in a run-off vote between Vice-President Joseph Boakai and former international footballer George Weah.<\/p>\n
Mr Weah, 51, won the first round, but did not secure the required 50% of the vote for an outright victory.<\/p>\n
Legal challenges delayed the vote to replace Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s first elected female president.<\/p>\n
Liberia, which was founded by freed US slaves in the 19th Century, has not had a smooth transfer of power in 73 years.<\/p>\n
Polls across Liberia opened at 08:00 GMT and will close at 18:00.<\/p>\n
More than two million people are eligible to cast their ballots.<\/p>\n
Who are the contenders?<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n Can Liberia’s deputy leader succeed his boss?<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n Why was the vote delayed?<\/strong> But earlier this month the Supreme Court ruled that evidence of fraud was insufficient to merit a re-run of the opening round. Why is the election important? 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”.<\/p>\n Ms Sirleaf took office in 2006, after her predecessor, Charles Taylor, was forced out by rebels in 2003, ending a long civil war.<\/p>\n Taylor is currently serving a 50-year prison sentence in the UK for war crimes related to the conflict in neighbouring Sierra Leone.<\/p>\n The results of the run-off are due to be announced within four days.<\/p>\n –<\/p>\n Source: BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Liberians are choosing a new president in a run-off vote between Vice-President Joseph Boakai and former international footballer George Weah. 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":386281,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[107,11],"tags":[597,15670],"yoast_head":"\n
\nMr 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.<\/p>\n
\nMeanwhile, Mr Weah, the former world footballer of the year, is hoping for a third time lucky.<\/p>\n
\nA 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”.<\/p>\n
\nThe verdict meant that the run-off – which had initially been set for 7 November – could go ahead.<\/p>\n
\nThis will be the first time for many generations that Liberians witness a transfer of power from one elected leader to another.<\/p>\n