Liberia's President Concedes Defeat After Tight Elections

 President of Liberia George Weah, has conceded defeated in his country's presidential election after Liberia's Elections Commission said on Friday that the president's 78 year old rival- Joseph Boakai, former vice president-had managed to secure a narrow victory with 50.9 percent of the vote to Weah’s 49.1 percent, winning almost all of the votes counted in an election which has been declared the "Best in Africa" by international observers. President Weah who was voted into office in 2018(he was the fourth youngest serving president in Africa at the time of his victory)  and will step down in January, was praised by world leaders for his concession, thus ensuring a peaceful transfer of power - a significant milestone in Liberia’s fragile democracy, which has seen civil war and previous leaders killed in office.

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Nigeria's president Bola Ahmed Tinubu was one of the first world leaders to congratulate the new President-elect Joseph Boakai, while also commending Weah’s “sterling example, undiluted patriotism, and statesmanship". 57 year old George Manneh Oppong Weah who was a professional footballer for 18 years, had sought reelection for a second six-year term after a tumultuous first tenure tainted by corruption scandals and allegations of mismanagement. Weah is the first African former professional footballer to become a head of state and is regarded as one of the greatest African players of all time.