Former soccer star Weah sworn in as Liberian president

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Former international soccer star George Weah was sworn in as Liberia's new president on Monday, in the country's first transition between democratically-elected leaders since 1944.

Weah, 51, took over from Nobel laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who spent 12 years at the helm, steering the West African nation away from the trauma of a civil war.

He was sworn in as president by the chief justice of the Supreme Court, Francis Korkpor. The ceremony took place at a packed sports stadium near the capital, Monrovia, with several African heads of state in attendance, along with friends and former colleagues from Weah's soccer years.

Liberia's former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and President-elect George Weah (R) speak during Weah's swearing-in ceremony at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Monrovia, Liberia, January 22, 2018. /Reuters Photo

Crowds queued for kilometers to reach the stadium, singing, dancing and waving the Liberian flag as they waited.

Weah has vowed to make prosperity and job creation the hallmarks of his presidency.

Liberia is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking a mere 177th on the 188 countries in the Human Development Index compiled by the UN Development Program.

Expectations are sky-high among Liberians that Weah will deliver on his promises of jobs and better schools.

AC Milan striker George Weah in action during AC Milan vs Bologna in their Italian serie A soccer match at Meazza stadium, Milan, Italy, September 25, 1999. /Reuters Photo

"Today is one of the most exciting days of my life," said Benjamin Bee, a 21-year-old student at the University of Liberia as he waited in line with thousands of others. "The man I'm supporting now, President Weah, is an icon, he is my role model. Today is not just an inuagural program for us Liberians, but signifies that Liberia has found itself."

Weah played for a string of top-flight European teams in the 1990s and was crowned the world's best player by FIFA and won the coveted Ballon d'Or prize, the only African to have achieved this.

After losing his first run at the presidency to Sirleaf in 2005, he has spent the last 13 years attempting to gain the political credibility to match his wild popularity at home, becoming a senator in 2014.

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Source(s): AFP