Bebe Akinboade
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GEORGE WEAH TACKLES 19 OTHERS FOR LIBERIA PRESIDENCY

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Twenty
candidates will contest presidential elections in Liberia in October, among
them a former warlord, a footballer and a fashion model, and current Vice
President as Ellen Johnson Sirleaf steps down after two terms.

The Electoral Commission, on Monday revealed that Elections
for the presidency and House of Representatives take place on October 10,
the first time since the end of the conflict in 2003 that Liberia will be holding
a vote without the presence of UN peacekeepers.
Ahead of the opening of campaigning on Monday, the
UN appealed for the ballot to go ahead smoothly, urging all “to spare no effort
in their pursuit of peaceful elections.”
“These elections and the subsequent transition
will mark a significant milestone whereby a sitting President will hand over
power from one elected President to another,” the United Nations Mission in
Liberia (UNMIL), African Union, and regional body ECOWAS said in a statement.
“We remind political parties of their
obligations to peaceful campaigning in compliance with the country’s electoral
laws (and) international standards,” it added.
Among the candidates put forward by political
parties, there is no obvious front-runner to replace the Nobel Prize-winning
Sirleaf as head of the fragile West African state she was elected to lead in
2005 following a long civil war, one that has left deep scars on its economy
and social fabric.
Amongst them are Football superstar and
Senator, George Weah, who will stand for the Coalition for Democratic Change
(CDC) with Jewel Howard-Taylor, 54, the ex-wife of Charles Taylor, as his
Vice-President pick.
Senator Prince Johnson, a one-time rebel
fighter filmed drinking beer during the notorious murder of former president
Samuel Doe in 1990, standing for President for the Movement for Democracy and
Reconstruction (MDR).
Two prominent businessmen, Coca-Cola
executive, Alexander Cummings, and telecoms tycoon, Benoni Urey, are standing
on pro-jobs and pro-growth platforms as they aim to bring corporate expertise
to the presidency.
MacDella Cooper, the only female presidential
candidate, is a former fashion model turned philanthropist who is promising
“hope and reform” for the poor, largely rural nation.

Also, Joseph Boakai, Sirleaf’s Vice President,
is hoping the record of keeping the peace will be enough to propel him to the
top job, despite complaints the ruling Unity Party has failed to deliver on the
economy.
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