Fifa’s former World Football Player of the Year George Weah has been voted president of Liberia after clinching 12 of the 15 counties in the west African country.Weah has taken to Twitter to thank all his supporters, saying that he plans to liberate the country: “It is with deep emotion that I want to thank you, the Liberian people, for honouring me with your vote today. It is a great hope,” he said through his Twitter handle @GeorgeWeahOff .
Weah was at the TB Joshua’s Synagogue Church of All Nations in Lagos Nigeria recently ahead of the election, according to reports.
The 51-year-old, considered one of Africa’s greatest ever footballers, is aiming to succeed President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who is stepping down after 12 years as the continent’s first elected female head of state.
This afternoon, Weah’s campaign manager for operations, Morluba Morlu, predicted victory with 70 per cent of the vote based on precinct-level vote tallies he said were trickling in from across the country after Tuesday’s vote.
The footballer has sparked controversy after naming Jewel Howard-Taylor, wife of cannibal warlord Charles Taylor, as his pick for vice president.
Charles Taylor is serving a 50-year sentence in Britain for war crimes committed in neighbouring Sierra Leone, but his presence has loomed large over the election.
This morning, Weah, who also played for AC Milan during a glittering career that saw him win the Ballon D’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year, took to Twitter to tell of his ‘deep emotion’ and ‘to thank you, the Liberian people, for honoring me with your vote today. It is a great hope.n the country’s vice president for the last 12 years, got only two counties to vote for The former AC Milan striker becomes the 25th president of the country.
South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma has congratulated the former Fifa World Football Player of the Year on his victory in the Liberian presidential run-off held on December 26 this year.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, President Zuma praised the country for conducting the presidential run-off in a peaceful manner, saying that it signified another positive step towards deepening democracy in Africa.
Weah, succeeds 79-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf who was the first African woman to be elected head of state and government and commander-in-chief of the defence forces.
– News Agencies/ online reports
