By Kemo Cham
Liberia’s electoral commission has officially declared former Vice President Joseph Boakai winner of the November 14 presidential run-off vote.
Mr Boakai won with 50.64 percent of the vote, against incumbent President George Weah’s 49.36 percent, according to National Electoral Commission chairperson Davidetta Browne Lansanah.
She made the announcement in the final daily briefing of the electoral commission in the course of the election period.
Boakai won by a margin of just 20,567 votes, the data released by the Commisison shows.
The announcement comes three days after President Weah conceded defeated in the tightly contested poll. Weah received worldwide praises for the move.
Among those who sent goodwilling messages to the former football star was the regional bloc, ECOWAS, which said Liberia served as example of a thriving democracy in the region.
“Liberians have once again demonstrated that democracy is alive in the ECOWAS region and that change is possible through peaceful means,” the organization said in a statement.
According to Liberian laws, the new president is expected to be inaugurated in January.
In his first interview after been declared winner, Mr Boakai said among his top priorities in his first 100 days in first is to review all mining laws, with the view of improving the living standards of Liberians.
