George Weah Wins Liberia’s Presidential Election

Former world’s best footballer and presidential candidate of Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), George Weah, has won the Liberian presidential election after securing over 61.5 per cent of the vote, against his major opponent, Vice President Joseph Boakai.

The country’s electoral commission announcing the result on Thursday 28^th December, 2017, said Weah had taken 61.5 per cent of the vote from 98.1 percent of ballots cast, to defeat Vice President Joseph Boakai, who took 38.5 per cent of the vote.

With his election victory, Weah will succeed Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to become president next month, the country’s first democratic transition since 1944.

The 51-year-old Weah, who grew up in poverty in Liberia, was raised by his grandmother in one of the worst slums of Liberia’s capital Monrovia.

Despite his poor background, Weah went on to have a flourishing football career in the 1990s, and later became world’s best footballer.

Weah is the first and only African player to have won both FIFA’s World Player of the Year trophy and the Ballon d’Or (Golden Ball).

He played for a number of different teams in Africa before being transferred to Monaco where he was coached by Arsene Wenger.

He also played for Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan, Chelsea and Manchester City.

Now he is the first footballer to become president of a nation.