MONROVIA, Montserrado – Today is the presidential runoff election, when Liberian voters decide between internationally acclaimed soccer legend George Weah and experienced public servant, Joseph Boakai, for their next president.

Weah received 38 percent of the total valid votes in the October 10 elections while Boakai received 28 percent, making them the candidates with the two highest number of votes. They qualified to participate in the runoff election.

One of them will succeed Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a Nobel laureate and Africa’s first democratically elected female head of state.

Sirleaf was elected in 2005 as head of the country’s first post-war elected government and is expected to complete her two-term limit in a month.

Sirleaf is credited with restoring Liberia’s image on the international stage, settling billions of the country’s foreign bilateral and multilateral debts, establishing and strengthening legal and institutional frameworks, and restoring basic social services to some part of the country, including health, education, electricity, and water. The administration has also made some gains in connecting major cities by rehabilitating and building roads, including the Suakoko Highway, which connects four of Liberia’s largest cities including Monrovia, Kakata, Gbarnga, and Ganta.

However, despite Sirleaf’s accomplishments, she failed to make headways in key areas, including ensuring that ordinary Liberians could benefit from investments in the economy, taming a corrupt public sector, and promoting national reconciliation for a country with civil war memories still fresh.

Because of the diversity of voters, they will have different reasons for voting for the two candidates.

Annie Wesseh, a 72-year-old woman who lives in Gibraltar, the home of Weah’s upbringing, has vowed to vote for the soccer legend because, according to her, she saw him grow up as a humble and respectful leader.

Annie Wesseh, a resident of Weah’s childhood community. Photo: Gbatemah Senah

The clustered slum community of Gibraltar lies across from the historic Providence Island. Weah lived in a small house with his late grandmother before rising to stardom.

“When he was coming up, he didn’t make palava with people. He was a friendly boy; he’s not rude,” Wesseh said.

Watching a young Weah grow up into adulthood, she does not doubt his ability to lead the country.

Wesseh wants Weah to place a higher priority on education and infrastructural development.

While playing football internationally, the CDC political leader contributed to the construction of a school in his former community. The school was initially named the George Weah Foundation, in his honor, and it was originally constructed as an eight-classroom flat top building but was later expanded with Weah’s support due to increased enrollment.

Kendricks Juine, the school’s founding principal and its current board chairman, said because of the limited support coming from Weah, the community discussed with him and decided that the name of the school should be changed to its current name, Gibraltar Community School, to attract support from other sources.

Juine said students are only required to pay L$1,200 (US$10) per year at the school.

Despite the increase in enrollment, he said teachers at the school currently do not receive salaries because of a lack of financial capacity.

“Our current enrollment is around 1,000 and our teachers are mostly members of the community,” he said.

Senator George Weah’s late grandmother’s house in Gibraltar. Photo: Gbatemah Senah

In addition to helping to construct the school, Weah also provided funds annually to organize a Christmas party for the children in Gibraltar. However, this and his support to the school have since been discontinued.

Wesseh, who has lived in the community for nearly all her life, told The Bush Chicken that Weah also no longer regularly visits the community. His prominence as a celebrated star or as senator of Montserrado has not led to significant improvement of Gibraltar as a slum community.

However, this has not dwindled his popularity and people in the community overwhelmingly prefer him as a choice for the presidency.

Many residents who spoke to The Bush Chicken committed to voting for CDC during the runoff election.

Joseph David, one of such young voters, said he would vote for Weah because he hails from his community and can deliver the country from the “leadership deficit.”

David did not live in the community during Weah’s time there, and neither has he closely interacted with him, but he thinks he feels more connected to Weah than Boakai.

Morris Fofana, a teacher at the Gibraltar Community School, told The Bush Chicken that he would vote for the CDC standard bearer because the school he works for was founded by Weah.

Gibraltar Community School. Photo: Gbatemah Senah

The alternative to Weah, Boakai, who has served in the current government as vice president since 2006, has described himself as a “racing car parked in a garage,” referring to being limited to nominal participation in decision making of the government.

Opposition parties during the first round of the election criticized the vice president for the comment, describing it as an attempt by him to shy away from the excesses of the administration he has served for two terms.

But Boakai also has his supporters, and he has received endorsements from political groups such as the All Liberian Party, United People Party, and some members of other political parties.

Isaac Freeman, a taxi driver, said he would vote for the Unity Party candidate because Boakai possesses the right experience and qualification for the presidency.

“The office of president is not a small position to just put anybody,” Freeman said. “It is for someone who got the experience and qualification.”

Among the two candidates in the runoff, Freeman said Boakai has spent more years in government and is better qualified to lead.

Like Weah, Boakai also has indigenous Liberian roots and hails from Foya in Lofa, where he experienced a similar rags-to-riches story as Weah. But he has been criticized for not doing much to impact his home county of Lofa.

Notably, the two candidates currently work at the Liberian Senate, one as a senator and the other as president of the Senate. Both currently reside in the same community in Paynesville and are having their faces on the presidential ballot for the third time each.

Featured photo by Lloyd Massah