Liberia: George Weah, 1995 Ballon d'Or winner, is elected President with 61.5% of the votes

George Weah, 51 years old, has been elected as President of Liberia on 28/12/2017. Weah, the 1995 Ballon d'Or winner and the only African ever to win the prize, will succeed Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on 22/01/2018.

The senator of Montserrado County (which includes the capital Monrovia) since 2015, garnered 61.5% of the votes in the second round of the election on Tuesday 26/12/2017. The former football striker, who played at AS Monaco (Ligue 1), Paris Saint-Germain (Ligue 1), AC Milan (Serie A), and Chelsea (Premier League), was opposed in the election by the now out-going Vice-President, Joseph Boakai (38.5% of the votes).

George Weah won the first round on 10/10/2017, with 38.4% of the votes (28.8% for Joseph Boakai) before a recourse for "massive fraud and irregularities" was filed by Charles Brumskine (third place in the first round), however, this investigation did not result in the postponing of the second round of the election from 07/11 to 26/12/2017. The 1995 Ballon d'Or winner was previously defeated by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in the 2005 Liberia presidential election.