Liberia is heading for a second round of voting in a presidential election between outgoing incumbent George Weah and opponent Joseph Boakai, as official provisional results on Wednesday placed them neck and neck.
With more than 94 percent of ballots counted, the 78-year-old Boakai, won 43.70 percent, while Weah, 57, a former international footballer who is running for a second term, gained 43.65 percent, according to results published by the national electoral commission.
On the 10th October , the two men significantly outperformed the other 18 presidential contenders in the first round of voting in the country of West Africa.
Nearly 93 percent of polling places have finished counting the votes, according to the commission’s website.
The numbers suggest that neither Weah nor Boakai will likely receive an absolute majority of the vote necessary to win election in the first round.
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A run-off is planned for two weeks after the announcement of official results but could be delayed by possible appeals.
Africa Today News, New York reports that the West African regional bloc ECOWAS and the African Union have congratulated the Liberian government and the election commission for the organisation of a peaceful vote, marked by a high participation rate.
The vote was the first to be held since the United Nations ended its peacekeeping mission in Liberia in 2018.
The mission was created after more than 250,000 people died in two civil wars between 1989 and 2003.