By Othello B. Garblah
President George Weah has conceded defeat in the just ended Tuesday, November 14, Presidential run-off to fierce rival former Vice President Joseph N. Boakai following the pronouncement of preliminary results on Friday. Mr. Weah has also hinted that he will be contesting the 2029 Presidential election.
In his concession speech Friday night, Mr. Weah admitted that his Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) party had lost the election, but Liberia had won.
He told supporters that he had earlier called President-elect Joseph Boakai to congratulate him indicating that after the announcement of the third preliminary result earlier on Friday by the National Elections Commission (NEC), the remaining results are not enough to see his party crossed the finished line.
NEC on Friday reported that with 99.58 percent of results President-elect Joseph N. Boakai of the opposition Unity Party (UP) had secured 814,212 of the votes amounting to 50.89%, while incumbent President Weah of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) had acquired 785,778 representing 49.11%.
Under the Liberian constitution, a Presidential candidate is required to secure 50 plus 1 percent of valid votes cast to be declared winner. By the figures reported on Friday, compared to the remaining percentages of votes to have been counted, put Amb. Boakai ahead as the presumed winner.
According to President Weah, the results show that Liberia’s democracy has one and that the will of the Liberian people should be respected.
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“My fellow Liberians, ladies and gentlemen, tonight the CDC has lost the election, but Liberia has won. This is a time to be gracious in defeat, a time to place our country above personal interest,” President Weah said.
Mr. Weah in his public address explained that his administration had promised to respect the will of the Liberian people and it was based on such commitment that it ensured that the election was freed, faired, and transparent.
While acknowledging that the 2023 elections have divided Liberians more than ever before, President Weah insisted that unity was more paramount for the “Love of Mama Liberia.”
He urged President-elect Boakai to seek ways of reconciling the nation after such a divisive election as a means of healing the nation. He stated that he remains available to continue his contribution to the nation.
President Weah also urged his supporters to accept the result as he has done, go home, and about their normal daily activities.
“Tomorrow, resume your daily activities in a normal way. You can join me at our party headquarters to reflect on our journey and plan for our return to political leadership in 2029,” Mr. Weah stated.
“Now, more than ever unity is paramount for the Love of Mama Liberia. To the members of the Mighty Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) fellow partisans, I understand this is not the outcome of the election we all desire. Your support has been the backbone of our campaign and for that, I am deeply grateful. I (now) urge you to follow my example and accept the result of the election. I want you to go home tonight knowing that our ideas and vision for our nation remain strong. We are a young moment, and our time will come again.
President Weah’s electoral defeat – the historical precedence
(source Small Karmoh / IB Nyei)
The last time an incumbent Liberian President lost in their reelection bid was in 1877 when President James S. Payne of the Republican Party was defeated by Anthony William Gardiner of the True Whig Party. Historians reckon that Payne lost largely because he was “selfwilled, revengeful, and vindictive”.
Payne was first elected President in 1867. He served his first two-year term from 1868 to 1870. When he sought reelection in 1869, he lost to Edward J. Roye of the True Whig Party. During both of his stints as President, first from 1868-1870 and from 1876 to 1878, he only served one term and never got lucky to win reelection.
Therefore, this is the third time that a sitting Liberian president has lost a presidential reelection campaign. However, only two individuals have suffered this fate. President James S. Payne and President George M. Weah.
President Weah is the first incumbent President in 146 years to have lost his reelection campaign in Liberia (first since 1877).
Edward J. Roye was also an incumbent who lost a controversial election. However, it is important to note that Roye refused to participate in the election of 1871 citing a constitutional referendum (he did not organize the referendum) that extended the presidential term from two to four years.
Roye’s oppositions in the Republican Party refused to honor the referendum which they had earlier organized and forced through the election. Their candidate, Joseph Jenkins Roberts (a former president) won unopposed because incumbent President Roye said the election was illegal so he did not participate. This escalated into the overthrowing of Roye and his eventual violent death in November 1869.
Several other incumbent presidents lost their attempts to get re-elected, not at the general elections, but at party primaries. For instance, in 1855 JJ Roberts lost his bid for a fifth term after the Republic Party chose Stephen A. Benson (Roberts’ Vice President) over him. Stephen A. Benson also served four two-year terms as president and lost his fifth term bid when the Republic Party refused to nominate him in the 1863 presidential election. Daniel B. Warner, a former Vice President to Benson, was nominated by the Republican Party. Warner was president from 1864-68.
During the 1883 election, incumbent President Alfred F. Russell of the True Whig Party (President from Jan 20, 1883, to Jan 7, 1884) who completed Anthony Gardiner’s term also did not get the nomination of his party (True Whig Party) in the that election. Instead, the TWP nominated Hilary R. W. Johnson who eventually won the Presidential election of 1883.
