Ex-soccer star, George Weah wins Liberian presidential election

AFP | George Weah emerged from Liberia’s slums to become a superstar soccer player in the 1990s, and leveraged his status as a revered figure among the country’s young to be voted president.

Weah easily beat Vice President Joseph Boakai in Tuesday’s presidential run-off, the culmination of 12 years spent building political credibility to match his huge popularity.
“You know I have been in competitions – tough ones too and I came out victorious. So I know Boakai cannot defeat me,” Weah said ahead of the vote. “I have the people on my side.”

The first African player to win both FIFA’s World Player of the Year trophy and the Ballon d’Or, Weah was largely absent from Liberia during the 1989-2003 civil war period, playing for a string of top-flight European teams including Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan.

After running unsuccessfully for the presidency in 2005, when he was defeated by President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Weah says he has “gained experience” since becoming a senator in 2014.

Another fruitless run for the vice-presidency on the ticket of presidential candidate Winston Tubman in 2011 brought him to further prominence among the nation’s voters, many of whom say this time it was “Weah’s turn”.

Education, Jobs, Infrastructure

Weah, 51, has put education, job creation and infrastructure at the center of his platform – in line with Boakai – and had won an unassailable 61.5 percent of votes with more than 98 percent of votes counted as of Thursday evening.

Younger voters overwhelmingly favour Weah, who is idolised in his country as “Mister George”.

Weah was raised by his grandmother on a reclaimed swamp in one of the worst slums of the capital Monrovia.
“Grassroots citizens identify with George Weah, considering that he is close to their day-to-day experience,” explained Ibrahim Al-Bakri Nyei, a Liberian political analyst at London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS).

Many voters see in Weah a poor boy from the slums who made good against the odds.

He is married to Clar Weah, and his son, Timothy, signed a professional soccer contract with Paris Saint-Germain in July.