MONROVIA, Liberia (AP) — Election officials in Liberia officially declared Joseph Boakai as president-elect on Monday, three days after incumbent George Weah conceded defeat based on preliminary runoff results.
According to the National Electoral Commission, Boakai won with 50.64% of the second-round vote, while Weah won 49.36%.
“We are at the point where we are preparing for the transition, starting the inauguration plan and ramping up governance activities,” Boakai, 78, a former vice president, said shortly after he was officially declared the winner.
Weah, a former international soccer star, has won praise in the West African country and abroad for his decision to admit defeat rather than challenge the result in court.
“This is a time of grace in defeat, a time when we must put our country above party and patriotism above personal interests,” Weah said in his concession speech late Friday. He said his political career is not over yet.
In 2017, Weah easily defeated Boakai in the second round with 60% of the votes cast. However, his popularity later declined with Liberia’s increasing economic problems.
Elsewhere, concerns are growing about the decline of democracy in West Africa. The region has seen a number of military coups in recent years, including one in Gabon earlier this year after presidential elections.