afrol News, 16 November - Liberian, African and international voices urge Liberia's soccer star George Weah to back down from his claims of having won the presidential election. He is putting Liberia's stability and peace at risk, most commentators say. Meanwhile, the victory of Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has been confirmed.

The National Elections Commission (NEC) yesterday confirmed that Ms Sirleaf had won the run-off presidential polls with 59.4 percent of all votes cast. These, the NEC said, are the final results of the 8 November elections. Ms Sirleaf thus is to be inaugurated as Liberia's and Africa's first female President ever.

At the same time, the NEC confirmed that it has begun the hearing into the electoral fraud alleged by candidate Weah. The Monrovia independent 'Analyst' however noted that NEC Chairperson Frances Johnson-Morris had said the burden of proof rested with the accuser, Mr Weah's Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) party.

Mr Weah is not backing down on his accusations of widespread election fraud in favour of Ms Sirleaf during the UN organised poll. He claims that NEC officers had stuffed ballot boxes with votes against him and that high ranking NEC officials had stated their support for Ms Sirleaf.

The popular candidate and former soccer star is known to have an ample basis of young supporters willing to take to the streets. Once protest marches in Monrovia start getting violent, observers fear, it will be very difficult to maintain control, even for Mr Weah.

So far, however, Mr Weah has been cautious, listening to local and international calls to keep calm. The presidential contender has called on his militants to stay off the street until it becomes necessary to do so again. Mr Weah emphasised that his supporters so far only had protested peacefully. In fact, he said, he had presented his candidacy "in order to restore genuine peace to Liberia."

Non-partisan Liberians and foreigners however do not trust this superficial peace and are urging Mr Weah to go a step further. He should give up his complaint and face defeat as the UN and a large number of international election observers had approved of the poll as free and fair, commentators and editorials all over the world agreed during the last few days.

It is feared that Mr Weah's continued protests are destroying the chances of a return to genuine peace, reconciliation and stability after the country's 14-year civil war. In particular the fact that many of his followers are former child soldiers from all factions of the war is worrying Liberians and foreigners. Keeping this group discontent is denying the country reconciliation.

Also the transitional President, Gyude Bryant, in a broadcasted speech has said that Mr Weah's position is becoming an obstacle to peace. "The government will not under any circumstances accept a situation where some citizens decide to hold the rest of the country hostage because they do not agree with a particular issue or course of action," Mr Bryant said.

Mr Weah however already has shown willingness to compromise. In negotiations with ECOWAS representative Abdulsalami Abubakar, the candidate backed off from his demand of a new election and said he would accept the NEC ruling. The threat that his followers could be called back to the streets however indicates that he will not accept what ever ruling from the NEC.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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