Liberia’s First Election Since the Civil War: High Turnout and High Hopes

Yesterday, Liberia held its first elections since a 14-year civil war ended two years ago. Former professional soccer player George Weah and the Harvard trained former World Bank economist Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, have emerged as the frontrunners among 22 candidates for the presidency. If Johnson-Sirleaf were to win she would become Africa’s first female president.

The first official election results taken from a fraction of polling stations declare Weah ahead in the race. He has 27.5% of the nearly 35,000 votes counted and Johnson-Sirleaf has 16.7%, according to the BBC. It may take several days until the full results are in from the 3,000 polling stations because there are few paved roads, no electrical grid and no nationwide telephone system in Liberia.

Modern Liberia was founded by freed slaves from the United States in 1822. Under the rule of former President Charles Taylor, Liberia was immersed in a long, brutal civil war and in conflict around the region. An estimated half-a-million Liberians fled into exile, another half-million were displaced inside the country and a quarter of a million died.

More than 1.3 million people registered to vote in this election, which represents the possibility of a more stable future for the country. Voters waited overnight and in the blaring sun in order to cast their ballots and international observers praised the process as free of violence or irregularities. On the way to casting their ballots, the two leading candidates expressed optimism about the future of their country.

* Emira Woods, Co-director of Foreign Policy In Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies. She is originally from Liberia.

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