Liberia's Presidential Election: George Weah and Joseph Boakai Locked in Tight Competition

Opposition candidate Joseph Boakai is currently leading in Liberia's run-off election, with results in from more than 85% of polling stations. Boakai has secured 50.6% of the vote, while President George Weah is slightly behind with 49.4%, according to the election commission. The first round of the election in October saw a close race between the two candidates, with a difference of just over 7,000 votes, leading to the run-off. Weah, a former international football star, is seeking re-election after defeating Boakai in the previous run-off in 2017. Boakai previously served as vice-president under Nobel Peace laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who stepped down as Liberia's leader after the 2017 election. The final results are yet to be announced as votes from around 5,000 polling stations are being collated. This presidential contest is the closest since a civil war ended in Liberia around two decades ago. Despite isolated incidents resulting in injuries and hospitalizations in some provinces, observers from the regional bloc, Ecowas, have reported that the run-off was largely peaceful.