On Nov. 17, Liberian President George Weah astonished many observers both at home and abroad by conceding defeat to opposition candidate Joseph Boakai in the second round of the country’s presidential election, held three days earlier. Boakai won by the slimmest of margins, with 50.9 percent over Weah’s 49.1 percent.
A few days after his concession, Weah made two striking admissions. He intimated that his allies in the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change, or CDC, had wanted him to remain in office by force but that he had refused to cling to power in order to avoid another bout of violence and civil war in Liberia. Additionally, he asserted that some of his advisers had misled him into sanctioning crony business mining deals with foreign entities during his presidency. Strikingly, he has stated that he will initiate an investigation into his own government before Boakai’s inauguration on Jan. 22 to ascertain how mining concessions were allocated
Weah’s actions stand in stark contrast to recent political developments elsewhere in West Africa, which has seen numerous military coups as well as “constitutional coups,” whereby heads of state remain in office by changing the constitution to extend their presidential term. Indeed, on Nov. 26, less than a week after Weah conceded to Boakai, what appears to have been an attempted military coup was quashed in neighboring Sierra Leone. Alongside the notion of a brazen disregard for the democratic transfer of power in Liberia, the developments in Sierra Leone are cause for further alarm, as instability in either country has usually spilled over to the other.
Political Machinations
While there was justified relief over Weah’s concession to Boakai, and Weah certainly deserves accolades for his actions, it now seems clear that there was more going on behind the scenes that could have derailed the elections than many realized. After all, given the razor-thin margin of the second-round vote, had Weah followed the advice of some of his advisers and sought to remain in office, a significant proportion of the population would in all likelihood have supported him. That would have certainly led to post-election violence.
Meanwhile, the Liberian people also deserve praise for ensuring the continuity of their democracy. Despite the fear of violence, voter intimidation and questions of vote-rigging by the incumbent, they went to the polls to elect their next leader. Moreover, only four of 14 senators running for reelection won their contests, indicating a high degree of discontent with the status quo. Under such circumstances, it’s questionable whether Weah could have counted on long-term support from his base had he usurped the state.
Perhaps most significantly, however, it is very unlikely that Liberia’s armed forces would have supported Weah’s attempt to remain in power past his mandate. Nor would it have obeyed orders by Weah to suppress dissent. The reconstituted Liberian military, which was fully reestablished in 2008by a U.S. Army advisory team, was thoroughly schooled in the supremacy of the Liberian constitution and its own obligation to obey only lawful orders under the constitution.
While there was justified relief over Weah’s concession to Boakai, it now seems clear that there was more going on behind the scenes that could have derailed Liberia’s elections than many realized.
Indeed, during Weah’s months-long absence from Liberia which included attending the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, in which his son played for the U.S. national team, the chief of the staff of the Liberian military, Gen. Prince Johnson III—no relation to Sen. Prince Y. Johnson—refused to heed calls to depose Weah. Additionally, Johnson has been a vocal critic of the recent coups in West Africa. It is therefore highly unlikely that he would have directed the Liberian armed forces to support Weah in a constitutional coup.
As noted, the other significant development following the election is Weah’s decision to audit the allocation process of his government’s mining concession. While questions of corruption in Liberia’s mining industry predate Weah’s administration, the issue appears to have become particularly pronounced during his tenure in office since 2018.
This could be a preemptive action on Weah’s part to uncover questionable practices before they are discovered by the incoming Boakai administration. Boakai has stated his intention to audit the Weah administration’s mining concessions allocation process, so it would behoove Weah to expose those in his government responsible for shady deals and corruption before Boakai does.
Weah’s Legacy
According to Liberian scholar Aaron Weah—no relationship to the president—Weah has been granted a “new lease on life in terms of his declining public image” due to his graceful concession to Boakai and is driven by the desire to undo years of negative publicity due to government mismanagement of public affairs during his tenure. Aaron Weah believes the president realized that his advisers had manipulated him to benefit themselves financially at the expense his reputation and the wellbeing of the Liberian people. As such, he is under no obligation to protect them politically or from criminal prosecution by the Liberian justice system. Aaron Weah argues that the leadership of the president’s CDC party underestimated the president’s integrity. Given his towering stature, Weah could probably have swayed the Liberian National Election Commission to proclaim him the winner even though he had lost. But to his credit, Weah chose otherwise.
Now feeling betrayed, some from his party are calling for his expulsion from the CDC. While Weah could contest the next presidential election in 2029, it is very likely that we have seen the end of him as an elected political official in Liberia. In the meantime, by conceding to Boakai and ensuring a peaceful transfer of power, Weah appears to have rehabilitated his image, while leaving his successor and the incoming administration the monumental task of uprooting corruption in Liberia, restoring the social contract and establishing good governance.
What is certain is that Weah upheld his oath to the Liberian constitution and the will of the Liberian people. Liberians will be eternally grateful, not just to the outgoing president, but also to the military leadership. But above all, it is the Liberian population itself that deserves the accolades for its dedication to Liberia’s democracy.
Source:MSN
