Opposition leads as tallying of votes continues in Liberia’s presidential run-off

The counting of ballots is on the verge of completion in Liberia after the presidential run-off election between incumbent President George Weah and former vice president Joseph Boakai. Boakai.

The incumbent leader, who’s seeking a second term, failed to reach the 50 percent required to secure an outright victory in the first round of voting in October.

Davidetta Browne Lansanah,the head of the country’s electoral commission, said Boakai’s Unity Party had obtained 50.71 percent of the vote so far, against Weah’s Congress for Democratic Change’s 49.29 percent.

The two candidates are facing one another in the presidential race for the second time. Weah was sworn in to lead Liberia in 2018 after beating Boakai.

Election observers had predicted a keenly contested runoff as the two candidates could not be clearly separated in the first-round vote last month.

In the meantime, the former Nigerian leader, Goodluck Jonathan, has praised Liberians for conducting themselves peacefully during the election.

Mr. Jonathan expressed optimism that, at the end of the election, Liberians will remain happy.

Liberia’s electoral commission has 15 days after the polls to publish the results.

The West African country is still struggling with the aftermaths of two civil wars between 1989 and 2003 and an Ebola epidemic that killed thousands of people.