In a country still devastated by consecutively civil wars, peace was among voters’ top worries as Liberians went to the polls on Tuesday (October 10, 2023) to decide whether to grant football icon George Weah a second term as president.
At voting locations, most of which were put up in schools, in the capital city of Monrovia, hundreds of people were already lined up to cast their ballots an hour before polls opened at 8:00 GMT.
“I vote for the good of my country. I expect peace and development,” Agostina Momo, 18, who is voting for the first time, said.
The major political parties in the country have vowed that the presidential and legislative elections will take place without incident.
However, the recent deaths of three people in clashes between their supporters have heightened concerns about a resurgence of violence.
The end of Weah’s reelection campaign was plagued by trouble as well, with police using tear gas to break up fights between his supporters and opponents who were throwing stones at each other.
“What we expect most is peace,” said Melvine Zoega, 37, among a group of men discussing their concerns in the city of Buchanan, 150 kilometres (90 miles) east of the capital Monrovia.
Healthcare, education, transportation, employment, and cost of living were all discussed, but only after concerns over a resurgence of violence.
More than 250,000 people died as a result of the hostilities in Liberia between 1989 and 2003.
The incumbent, 57-year-old Weah, who became the first African to win football’s highest individual honor, the Ballon d’Or, in 1995, will likely face a second-round runoff in early November in addition to 19 other candidates.
But he has campaigned on the slogan “One round victory”.
“We must all cherish this peace and continue to preserve it, because without peace, our world will be difficult,” Weah told thousands of people gathered in Monrovia Sunday.
“Without peace, development will not take place.”
Critics claim the former international player has broken his promises to create jobs and fund education since taking office.
The national electoral commission is working to reassure the public that it can conduct honest elections.
“Everything’s ready… We anticipate that all should go well,” said commission chairperson Davidetta Browne-Lansanah.
The election is the first to be held since the UN’s peacekeeping operation in Liberia was terminated in 2018.
In a region where there have been a number of recent coups, the European Union, the African Union, the West African bloc, ECOWAS, and the United States have all sent monitors. Ref: AFP