Joseph Boakai sworn in as new president of Liberia
The newly elected president of Liberia, Joseph Boakai, was sworn in on Monday following his election victory over former football star George Weah.
The former Vice President will overlook the affairs of the West African country for a six-year term after he narrowly defeated former Ballon d’Or winner Weah in November’s run-off poll with 50.64 percent of the votes to 49.36 percent.
The ceremony in parliament was attended by Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo and US ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
Local and international poll observers said the election that brought in the experienced politician country was peaceful in a region that has seen a succession of military coups in recent years in Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea and Niger.
He vowed to tackle poverty and corruption amid the raging economic downturn. Liberia has been plagued with corruption, high levels of poverty and a weak justice system, after years of civil war and an Ebola outbreak.
Boakai has 40 years of political experience under his belt and his political popularity helped his campaign bid ahead of the poll.
He was vice-president from 2006 to 2018 under Liberia’s first woman president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, before being soundly beaten by Weah in the 2017 election.
