For the first time in Liberia’s modern multi-party democracy, Liberians will elect their 24th President from between two contenders, both of who work at the Capitol, home of the National Legislature. Now that the 2017 presidential and representative election results are pointing to a runoff between the President of the Liberian Senate, Mr. Boakai, and the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Youth and Sports, Mr. Weah, the Senate Chambers will either be missing two Senators, or their president in Vice President Boakai. VP Boakai is going to the run-off with outgoing Speaker of the House of Representatives J. Emmanuel Nuquay as his running mate, and they are fighting an all-or-nothing battle. But if they win, they ascend to the highest offices in the land as Liberia’s first professional athlete-turned president (Weah) and the nation’s first woman Vice President and President of the Senate (Howard-Taylor). Meanwhile, a renowned political commentator has disputed claims that the turnover of power to a new democratically elected leadership will be the first since 1944.

Source: Daily Observer October 17, 2017 02:30 UTC