MONROVIA, Liberia (AP) — Election officials in Liberia on Monday formally declared Joseph Boakai the president-elect, three days after incumbent President George Weah conceded defeat based on provisional results of a runoff.
According to the National Electoral Commission, Boakai won 50.64% of the votes in the second round while Weah received 49.36%.
“We have reached the point where we will prepare for the transition, begin the inauguration plan, while beginning governing activities,” Boakai, 78, a former vice president, said moments after his victory was officially announced.
Weah, a former international soccer star, won praise in the West African country and beyond for his decision to concede defeat rather than challenge the result in court.
“This is a time for grace in defeat, a time to put our country above party, and patriotism above self-interest,” Weah said in his concession speech late Friday. He said that his political career is not over yet.
In 2017, he easily defeated Weah Bukai in the second round with 60% of the vote. However, his popularity later declined due to Liberia’s escalating economic problems.
Elsewhere, concerns have been growing about the decline of democracy in West Africa. The region has witnessed a wave of military coups over the past few years, including the coup in Gabon earlier this year in the wake of presidential elections.
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