Liberia goes to the polls: Footballer, VP, ex-warlord?

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Liberia goes to the polls on Tuesday to elect a new president. The West African nation remains one of the poorest countries in the world, and after 14 years of civil war and a devastating Ebola outbreak, it has reached a crucial juncture.

Under Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first democratically-elected female head of state in Africa’s history, services have improved and peace established. But after reaching the end of her two-term limit and 12 years in office, she will step down with poverty, unemployment and corruption persistent problems.

On Tuesday up to 2.2 million voters will choose from 20 presidential candidates, as well as elect a new House of Representatives, as Liberia prepares to hand power from one democratically-elected leader to another for the first time in 73 years

Campaign issues

Economy: Liberia’s GDP has quadrupled since Sirleaf took office, but rapid progress was interrupted when Ebola hit the country in 2013. Close to 5,000 Liberians died, and foreign workers departed en masse. The economy was stagnant between 2013 and 2016, and the country continues to struggle with low prices for its main resources -- iron ore, palm oil, and rubber.

Hat vendors walk past the National Elections Commission headquarters in Monrovia, Liberia, on October 9, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Investment: Sirleaf, a former World Bank official, successfully used her contacts to attract substantial debt relief and investment, including from China. Her potential replacements have focused on addressing ways to reduce Liberia’s reliance on foreign aid, and Nobel Peace Prize winner Sirleaf has faced accusations of being pre-occupied with her image overseas.

Infrastructure: Plans to address Liberia’s poor transport networks have been central to the campaign of Joseph Boakai, the current vice president. Access to electricity has increased under Sirleaf, but many remain off the grid, and power cuts are common.

Chinese Ambassador to Liberia Zhang Yue (L) talks with Liberia's President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on August 6, 2015. /Xinhua Photo

Stability: The maintenance of political stability in a country still bearing the scars of a 14-year civil war in which rape and mutilation were commonplace and up to 250,000 were killed is the basic requirement for whoever becomes president. This was Sirleaf’s greatest achievement, but voters are now looking for improved basic services.

Corruption: Bribery and nepotism have been major issues in the campaign, with the creation of an anti-corruption court being the centerpiece of leading candidate George Weah’s platform. Sirleaf admitted in January that she lost the fight against the “national cancer” of corruption.

Employment: Liberia is among the poorest countries in the world. Joblessness is high, with UN estimates putting youth unemployment at 85 percent. More than 50 percent of Liberians live in poverty.

A vendor passes by a poster depicting George Weah and his running mate Jewel Howard Taylor on October 6, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Charles Taylor: The legacy of the former president, jailed for crimes against humanity in neighboring Sierra Leone, lives on in Liberia. He is serving a 50-year sentence in a UK prison, but rumors that he is involved in the election continue – not least because his ex-wife Jewel Howard Taylor is the running mate of high profile candidate Weah, and she has pledged to put her former husband’s “agenda back on the table.”

Candidates for the presidency

The 20 candidates include current Vice President Joseph Boakai, ex-AC Milan soccer star George Weah and Prince Yormie Johnson, a former rebel leader during the nation’s 14-year civil war. After 12 years of a female president, only one woman -- MacDella Cooper -- is in the running for the top job in 2017.

Leading candidates

Unity Party candidate Joseph Boakai in Monrovia, Liberia, on October 7, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Joseph Boakai: The current vice president has campaigned on a platform of stability and infrastructure investment. He argues that the Sirleaf administration had good policies, but failed to implement them effectively. The 72-year-old leads the ruling Unity Party but has been dubbed “Sleepy Joe” after snoozing during the campaign events. Sirleaf has done little to back the candidacy of her deputy, sparking rumors of a rift between the two.

George Weah arrives at a campaign rally at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium in Monrovia, Liberia, on October 6, 2017. /Reuters Photo

George Weah: The 1995 FIFA World Footballer of the Year is a huge star, and is particularly popular among Liberia’s large number of young voters. Now 51, Weah has been involved in politics since 2004 and ran unsuccessfully for the presidency in 2005 and the vice-presidency in 2011. He has served as a senator for the Congress for Democratic Change since 2014. He has promised to set up an anti-corruption court and focused on education and job creation.

Other contenders

Benoni Urey: Urey is a wealthy businessman who helped found the country’s main mobile phone network as well as a leading food production company. The 60-year-old All-Liberian Party candidate has argued that the country must adopt a more business-friendly approach and urged the development of agriculture.

Liberal Party candidate Charles Brumskine at a campaign rally in Monrovia, Liberia, on October 8, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Charles Brumskine: The 66-year-old lawyer and Liberty Party candidate has twice run for the presidency unsuccessfully in the past, but is seen as a popular opposition figure.

MacDella Cooper: The 40-year-old former model, who had a relationship with Weah, fled Liberia during the civil war. After a decade in the US, she returned to Liberia in 2005 and set up a charity to fight poverty.

Supporters of Alexander Cummings in Monrovia, Liberia, on October 7, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Alexander Cummings: The former Coca-Cola executive founded the Alternative National Congress party, and has campaigned on a platform of overhauling Liberia’s education system.

Prince Yormie Johnson: The evangelical preacher was a rebel leader during the civil war. He achieved international notoriety after capturing and torturing former President Samuel Doe on camera. He came third in the 2011 election.

How does the system work?

Turnout is expected to be high in Tuesday’s elections, and after largely peaceful campaigns hopes are strong that voting will take place without incident.

"Go to the polls peacefully," Sirleaf said in a short speech broadcast on state television on Monday. "We all must respect the outcome of the election as declared by the National Elections Commission."

Election workers at the National Electoral Commission headquarters in Monrovia, Liberia, on October 9, 2017. /Reuters Photo‍

Liberia has 2.2 million registered voters, who have 20 presidential tickets to choose from. A winner requires 50 percent of the votes plus one and with no clear favorite, a runoff election between the top two candidates is anticipated in early November.

Liberians will also vote in first-past-the-post elections for the House of Representatives race, where 986 candidates are running for 73 seats.

Polls open between 08:00 GMT and 18:00 GMT, and provisional results are expected within two days. The final results will be officially announced on October 25.

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