George Weah emerged from Liberia's slums to become a superstar footballer in the 1990s, and has leveraged his status as a revered figure among the country's young and poor in his second run for the presidency. Weah will face Vice President Joseph Boakai tomorrow in a presidential run-off, the culmination of 12 years spent building political credibility to match his huge popularity.
"You know I've been in competitions - tough ones too and I came out victorious. So I know Boakai cannot defeat me," Weah said ahead of the vote. "I have the people on my side."
The first African player to win both FIFA's World Player of the Year trophy and the Ballon d'Or, Weah was largely absent from Liberia during the 1989-2003 civil war period, playing for a string of top-flight European teams including Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan. After running unsuccessfully for the presidency in 2005, when he was defeated by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Weah says he has "gained experience" since becoming a senator in 2014. Another fruitless run for the vice-presidency on the ticket of presidential candidate Winston Tubman in 2011 brought him to further prominence among the nation's voters, many of whom say this time it is "Weah's turn."
Weah, 51, has put education, job creation and infrastructure at the centre of his platform - in line with Boakai - and won 38.4 percent of votes in the first round election on Oct. 10, while Boakai came second with 28.8 percent.
