Liberia votes as President George Weah eyes second term

LIBERIA: Liberians are voting on whether to return football icon George Weah to the presidency, with peace and the economy among voters’ top concerns.

Hundreds of people had gathered at polling stations in the capital, Monrovia, early on Tuesday morning ahead of the start of voting at 08:00 GMT.

The main political parties have pledged that the presidential and legislative elections in the West African country will pass off peacefully.

However, the deaths of three people last month during clashes between rival party supporters has raised concerns about a return to bloodshed.

Scuffles also broke out on Sunday as Weah, who is seeking a second six-year term as president, held his final campaign rally, leaving several injured.

The election is the first to be held since the United Nations ended its peacekeeping mission in Liberia in 2018.

UN peacekeepers were deployed to the country after more than 250,000 people died in two civil wars between 1989 and 2003.

Weah, 57, entered politics after a career as an international footballer that saw him become the only African to win the game’s most prestigious individual award and do stints at top clubs including Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Chelsea.