Liberia don swear in Joseph Boakai as new president

Liberia don swear in Joseph Boakai as new president of di kontri on Monday.

Dis one follow narrow win for di 2023 election against former President George Weah.

Di 79-year-old bin get 50.64 percent of di votes to Oga Weah 49.36 percent for November runoff election.

Boakai go become di oldest eva president for Liberia history.

President Boakai swearing-in na for one six-year term for di parliament for Monrovia di kontri capital for presence of happy crowd of supporters wey dey shout JNB.

For im inauguration speech, di president promise to make “inclusive governance di watchword” of im administration.

“Na time for one new Liberia. We go practice one democratic goment for di interests of di pipo. We must respect di rule of law.”

Some foreign leaders and diplomatic delegations including Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo and US ambassador to di United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield bin attend di ceremony.

President Boakai wey get 40 years of political experience enta office wit high expectations from Liberians.

Di pipo expect am to tackle poverty, create jobs, fight corruption, improve di economy, set up economic and war crimes court, strengthen di institutions and uphold di rule of law.

Im be vice president from 2006 to 2018 under Liberia first female president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and don serve as minister bifo dat time .

Liberia, one small kontri of about five million pipo don face two civil wars, Ebola outbreak and Covid-19 pandemic.

Tins to know about Joseph Boakai

Joseph Boakai, na 79-year-old opposition candidate wey describe age as "blessing", di incumbent don congratulate am afta Liberia tough presidential election.

Di latest results give am one safe lead against former football superstar George Weah for di tightest poll since di kontri civil war end.

Critics sabi am as "Sleepy Joe" afta different tori of how e dey sleep for official events, but Oga Boakai don promise to restore hope for Liberia and no allow di kontri "fall over di cliff".

E bin don serve for 12 years as vice-president under Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, di first elected female African head of state - e dey familiar wit how to run kontri.

Oga Boakai popularly brand imself as one "race car wey dem park for garage," phrase wey bin trend during di 2017 elections, wia e dey defeated by Oga Weah.

E bin tok say dat description relate to how e wan do more as vice-president.

Im website list 58 achievements, from championing community colleges to how e settle various gbege around Liberia.

Di biggest achievement from im time for office, however, na one entirely peaceful tenure, following almost 15 years of war.

Search for 'better life'

Dem born am from November 1944 into wetin many don call "humble beginnings," Joseph Boakai grow up for one remote village of Worsonga, for Liberia northernmost county, Lofa.

Im parents no fit read or write.

Oga Boakai bin study for school for di neighbouring kontri of Sierra Leone and graduate from di College of West Africa, for Liberia capital, Monrovia.

E den go on to complete one business administration degree for di University of Liberia.

For one radio interview, Oga Boakai bin tok say as young man, e bin waka from Wonsonga to di capital to find "beta life".

Oga Boakai and im wife Kartumu get four children. E be Baptist and deacon of di Effort Baptist Church.

For di 1980s Oga Boakai bin serve as Liberia agriculture minister under President Samuel Doe, wey dey violently murdered for 1990.

One of im earlier projects shele for im old village, wia e supervise and personally finance di construction of one new seven-mile (11.2 km) road.

E bin work wit odas to build one school for 150 students and one clinic for community of 10 villages.

Oga Boakai bin also oversee di programme to decentralise agriculture - create regional hubs - one flagship project for Liberia, wia many pipo be subsistence farmers.

Afta e lose di 2017 election, Oga Boakai bin dey determined to try again.

For di first round of dis election, neither Boakai nor Weah gbab di more dan 50% wey dem need for victory, so dem face off for second round.

Oga Boakai campaign bin focus on agriculture, while e accuse Oga Weah administration of "mismanagement". Oga Weah dismiss Oga Boakai allegations.

Wen e tok to BBC about im aims bifor di election, Oga Boakai bin explain say e bin wan focus on fighting corruption, boost agricultural production, bring down di cost of food and improve di kontri roads.

E bin say: "Our pipo need to get kontri wey dem fit call dia own, kontri wey dem fit respect and corruption don be one blockage."

E bin promise say dem go be "draw sword against corruption".

"For di first 100 days, we go make sure say no vehicle go dey stuck for mud for di kontri. Dat go affect di price of food and di health condition of di pipo."

Di president-elect also pledge to investigate reasons why food prices dey so high, while e say e go help farmers.

Liberian President George Weah bin call im challenger for di presidential race, Joseph Boakai, to congratulate am on im victory.

For one address to di nation, e bin say "di Liberian pipo don tok and we don hear dia voice".

Di opposition candidate hold one safe lead of 28,000 votes wit nearly all ballots counted.

Former football star President Weah don dey power since 2018. E don step down for January.

E bin enta di job ontop one wave of eagerness, especially from younger voters, e bin win dat election - also against Oga Boakai - by one large margin.

But one belief say e don fail to tackle corruption, increase for price and continued economic kasala bin tarnish im image.

Oga Weah dey big-hearted for defeat, wen e begin im five-minute address e tok say e get "di utmost respect for di democratic process wey don define our nation", e add say e don tok to Oga Boakai wey e call di "president-elect".

Earlier di electoral commission bin announce say Oga Boakai, one 79-year-old political veteran get 50.89% of di votes, while President Weah get 49.11%.

Di president refer to di closeness of di race as sometin wey "reveal one deep division within our kontri" and call on Liberians to "work togeda to find common ground... unity na key for mama Liberia".

One long period of civil war wey one estimated 250,000 pipo die bin end just 20 years ago.

Wen di latest set of results dey announced earlier on Friday, dem bin spark celebrations for di capital, Monrovia.

Oga Boakai supporters gada for im party headquarters for di city, as dem dey convinced say e don win di election.

Dey bin call for President Weah to go, and chant "we beat di Buga dancer" - dem dey refer to one song wey dey associated wit im campaign.

Di electoral commission say dem don announce di results from 99.58% of di polling stations following Tuesday run-off election.

Di run-off between Oga Boakai and OgaWeah dey triggered afta neither candidate bin get more dan 50% of di vote for di first round. E bin get 18 oda candidates.

For dat vote, di president bin get di largest share and na just 7,000 votes ahead of Oga Boakai.

Di poll be di tightest presidential contest for Liberia since di civil war.

Oga Boakai campaign bin focus on di need to rescue di nation from wetin e call "mismanagement" by Oga Weah administration.

Di president bin dismiss Oga Boakai allegations, e say e don make ogbonge achievements, including introducing free tuition for university students.

Dis na di fourth time wey presidential election don take place since di war end.

Observers from di regional bloc, Ecowas, see di run-off as largely peaceful, AFP tori pipo report.

But e bin get separate incidents wey lead to "injuries and hospitalisations" for di provinces of Lofa, Nimba, Bong and Montserrado, observers tok.