BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images
Joseph Boakai, left, and George Weah
CNN –
Liberian President George Weah has conceded defeat to opposition candidate Joseph Boakai after a close runoff election.
Weah, a former soccer star, called Boakai after the country’s National Electoral Commission (NEC) released preliminary results on Friday.
With nearly all ballots counted, Boakai, a 78-year-old former vice president of Liberia, won 51% of the vote, the country’s electoral commission said.
In an address to the nation, Weah said: “The results announced this evening, while not final, show that Ambassador Joseph N. Boakai has a lead that we cannot surpass. “That is why I spoke with the a few minutes ago President-elect Joseph N. Boakai to congratulate him on his victory.
“As we recognize the results tonight, we should also recognize that the real winners of these elections are the people of Liberia,” he added.
President Weah was elected to office in 2018 and will step down in January.
A runoff election was triggered when Weah, 57, claimed victory in an earlier poll in October by just 7,000 votes over his political rival Boakai. However, he missed the required 50 percent hurdle to achieve an overall victory.
Weah was seeking re-election to a second six-year term after a turbulent first term marked by corruption scandals and allegations of mismanagement.
He was praised for immediately conceding to ensure a peaceful transfer of power – a significant milestone in Liberia’s fragile democracy, where civil war has raged and previous leaders have been killed in office.
There have also been a number of coup attempts in West and Central Africa in recent years.
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu was among the first to congratulate the new president while praising Weah’s “outstanding example, unadulterated patriotism and statesmanship.” He defied the stereotype that peaceful transfers of power in West Africa are untenable,” said a statement from the Nigerian presidency.