-UN chief “looks forward to working closely”with him
UN Secretary General António Guterres has congratulated Liberia’s newly elected President Senator George Manneh Weah.
A press statement issued in New York on Friday, said the Secretary-General welcomes the announcement by the National Elections Commission on 29 December of the final results of the presidential run-off election in Liberia.
Liberia’s National Elections Commission (NEC) on Friday formally declared football icon and Senator George Manneh Weah winner of the December 26 presidential runoff election, after the final batch of results were released.
Weah of the main opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) got 732,185 votes, clinching 61.5%, while current Vice President Joseph Boakai of the Unity Party (UP) amounting to 457,579 votes, amounting to 38.5%.
Guterres congratulates Mr. George Weah on his election as the next President of the Republic of Liberia and commends Vice President Joseph Boakai for conceding defeat.
The Secretary-General applauds all Liberians for the successful completion of the elections process, which was conducted in a peaceful environment. He commends the work of the national, regional and international electoral observation teams.
According to the statement, the UN Secretary-General appreciates the efforts of former President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, a member of his High-level Advisory Board, and welcomes the steadfast good offices of his Special Representatives Farid Zarif of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) and Mohammed Ibn Chambas of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS).
The Secretary-General notes that the conclusion of peaceful, transparent, free and fair elections confirms Liberia’s steady march towards lasting peace, stability and development.
He notes that the challenges that lie ahead are significant and will require unity of purpose by the President-elect and his Government as well as all political stakeholders.
The UN chief looks forward to working closely with the President-elect and the people of Liberia towards the consolidation of peace and economic development, Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General said in a press statement.