Former FIFA world footballer of the year, George Weah will face off with Vice-President Joseph Boakai in Liberia’s presidential election next month.
Weah led with 39% to Boakai’s 29% with about 5% of precincts yet to be counted. The third placed candidate, lawyer Charles Brumskine, on 9.8%.
The final certified results from Tuesday’s poll must be announced by 25 October. But with more than 1.5 million votes counted so far and 95.6% of polling stations having reported, it was mathematically impossible that Brumskine could move into second place, leaving Weah and Boakai to battle it out again in November.
Turnout based on votes counted so far was nearly 75%.
A total of 20 candidates competed in last week’s poll seeking to succeed Nobel Peace Prize winner Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in what would be Liberia’s first democratic transfer of power in more than 70 years.
Weah and Boakai had both predicted outright victory in the first round.
