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AROUND THE WORLD 4: Soccer Star Runs For President
Liberian soccer star George Weah is concentrating on goals of a different nature this week. Weah ran for president of his war-torn homeland, and, as of Thursday, was leading in the polls. Though the election was held on Tuesday, the official results may not be known for another week.
This election marks the first time voters have ventured to the polls since the eruption of a civil war that devastated their country for 14 years. Though the war ended two years ago, the West African country has still experienced instability and a lack of basic modern technology. Many hope that the elections are an indication of future stability. Signs of joy such as dancing women and honking horns have been seen on Liberia’s streets.
Weah, 39, joins 21 other presidential hopefuls, including former Minister of Finance, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. Johnson-Sirleaf, a 66-year-old grandmother and Harvard educated economist, would be the first elected female president in Africa. According to poll results, these two very different candidates are the leading candidates. If neither person receives more than 50 percent of the votes, a run-off will determine the future president.
A majority of residents in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, will likely vote for Weah, the former striker for the AC Milan soccer team and a native of Monrovia. However, there are more than 3,070 poll stations across the country, and only 278 of these stations reported results as of Thursday.
Unlike presidential elections in the United States, Liberians have little access to reliable sources of information because they cannot afford to buy a newspaper or a television.
Liberia, which was founded to provide a nation for freed American slaves in the 1800s, lost over 250,000 of its citizens in its civil war.
--Written by Morgan Diamond
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