Candidate Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf May become Africa's first female President

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afrol News, 8 November - Today, Liberians have decided who will be the country's first democratically elected leader in decades. In the post-war country depleted of infrastructure, the run-off election went along peacefully and orderly. It will take several days before one knows if Africa has got its first female President or its first sports superstar President.

Either ex-soccer star George Weah or ex-Finance Minister Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf will soon be sworn in as Liberia's first post-war President. No analyst dears to predict the outcome of the run-off election, although Mr Weah got more votes (28 percent) in the first round than Ms Weah (20 percent). The young ex-footballer is best known and embodies hope, but the female economist is considered more qualified to lead the country.

While the votes are to be counted, Liberians and foreign observers for the moment celebrate that it actually was possible to hold free, fair and peaceful elections in a country that has been in war almost continuously for 15 years. Reconstruction has not really yet begun under the UN administration and the lack of infrastructure and safety spoke against the holding of the polls.

Nevertheless, Liberians went out to the 3,070 polling stations in great numbers throughout the day and made use of their right to vote. All stations managed to be open and equipped on time, and according to the UN, "voting took place without obstruction to the Liberians who chose to vote." Indeed, a revolution.

The poll exercise has so far been hailed by international election observers as free and fair. The US-based Carter Centre, which is monitoring the poll, has so far not found any grave incidents to report and today stated that Liberians now are well along the process "to put their once-prosperous nation back in order."

The UN, which has held real power in Liberia for the past two years, has plaid a leading role in the organisation of the elections, which is an important part of its mandate. The UN Envoy to Liberia, Alan Doss, today visited polling places in Buchanan and Gbarnga and across Monrovia. He celebrated the successful event that had been planned for a long time and concluded that "the process was free of disruption or violence."

"Today's run-off election offers the people of Liberia the opportunity to leave behind the war that has wrecked this country for so long and to enter into a future of peace and stability," added Mr Doss.

The UN representative refrained from commenting on turnout, pending a count, and from assessing yet whether the voting had been totally free and fair. He also appealed to the candidates "to urge their supporters to be patient in waiting for the results and to accept the results peacefully."

Civilian police and troops from the UN peacekeeping operation in Liberia (UNMIL) had been deployed at key locations and patrolled very visibly across the country to ensure a secure voting environment. Only five arrests, including three for assault, were reported, according to Mr Doss.

"While we do not know this evening which of the two candidates will be chosen as the newly elected leader of Liberia, we do know that today, Liberian voters have taken a major step towards rebuilding their nation," the UN Envoy said.

By staff writers

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