Joseph Boakai's Presidential Inauguration Speech Falls Short of Expectations

During Liberia's inauguration ceremony, the newly elected President Joseph Boakai experienced difficulty finishing his speech and had to be assisted away from the podium. The 79-year-old had been speaking for about 30 minutes when it became apparent that he was unable to continue. The ceremony was subsequently adjourned after Boakai failed twice to resume speaking. Reports suggested that heat exhaustion due to the temperature exceeding 30 degrees Celsius may have been the cause. Video footage showed a man fanning papers near Boakai's face before he was taken away. Despite these events, Boakai had already been sworn in as Liberia's oldest president at the Capitol Building in Monrovia, the nation's capital. Following his departure, the new Vice-President Jeremiah Koung addressed the guests and accompanied them to the presidential dinner. Boakai narrowly defeated the outgoing president, former football star George Weah, in a runoff election in November. Concerns about Boakai's health were prominent during the campaign, but he assured that he was in good health and believed that his age would be an asset for the country. Before ending his speech prematurely, Boakai emphasized the need to move forward as a nation, leaving partisanship behind. He expressed his commitment to restoring dignity in public service and upholding the rule of law. Boakai served as vice-president under Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf until 2018 and ran for the presidency under the United Party (UP) banner. In the 2017 election, he lost to Weah, who became Liberia's youngest-ever elected president.