Liberian leader and football legend George Weah has conceded defeat to opposition leader Joseph Boakai after a tight presidential run-off, saying it was "time to put national interest above personal interest".
With 99.5 percent of votes counted, opposition leader Joseph Boakai has garnered 50.89 percent to Weah's 49.11 percent, according to Liberia's election commission.
"The results announced tonight, though not final, indicate that... Boakai is in a lead that we cannot surpass," Weah said in a speech on national radio late on Friday.
He said his CDC party "has lost the election but Liberia has won," adding: "This is the time for graciousness in defeat".
He had spoken to Boakai "to congratulate him on his victory".
Boakai, 78, emerged neck-and-neck with 57-year-old Weah in the first round last month, but below the 50 percent needed to secure an outright victory, leading to Tuesday's run-off.
Excerpts of Liberia's 🇱🇷 President George Weah's Concession Speech.#LiberiaDecides
— Kennedy Wandera (@KennedyWandera_) November 18, 2023
I stand before you tonight with a heavy heart, but with the utmost respect for the democratic process that has defined our nation.
The results announced tonight, though not final, indicate that… pic.twitter.com/fFkFd8PDrE
Disappointment
The results mark a turnaround from the 2017 presidential vote which swept Weah to power, with Boakai losing by a large margin.
The election of Weah – the first African footballer to win both FIFA's World Player of the Year trophy and the Ballon d'Or – had sparked high hopes of change in Liberia, which is still reeling from back-to-back civil wars that killed more than 250,000 people and the 2013-2016 Ebola epidemic.
But critics have accused his government of corruption and him of failing to follow through promises to alleviate poverty and improve the country's crumbling infrastructure.
'Largely' peaceful
Weah will remain president until the handover of power in January – the second democratic transfer of power in over seven decades.
International observers, including the EU, have commended Liberia for holding a peaceful election.
Regional bloc Ecowas said the poll was "largely" peaceful, though it noted isolated incidents that led to injuries and hospitalisations in four provinces.
Liberia is Africa's oldest republic and was founded by freed American slaves.
The United States congratulated "president-elect Boakai on his victory and President Weah for his peaceful acceptance of the results".
"We call on all citizens to follow President Weah's example and accept the results," US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.
(with newswires)
