Vote counting started in Liberia Wednesday, after the presidential run-off between football legend George Weah and ex-vice president Joseph Boakai, with the challenger taking a narrow early lead.
The balloting passed peacefully on Tuesday, with more than 2.4 million voters called to choose between incumbent Weah, 57, who is seeking a second term in office, and Boakai, 78.
Election Observers expect the result to be tight after the two candidates came neck-and-neck in the first-round of vote last month.
With results counted from 1,315 of the 5,890 polling stations across the country, Boakai was ahead with 50.7 percent of the votes, the Chairwoman of the electoral commission, Davidetta Browne Lansanah told newsmen.
She was not specific what proportion of the total number of voters these polling stations represented. They accounted for just over 386,000 votes.
In the first-round vote, held last month, Weah led his old rival by just 7,126 votes in all.
But in 2017’s presidential race, he easily beat Boakai in the second round, taking more than 61 percent.
The electoral commission has 15 days from the polls to publish the results but could do so sooner.
The electoral commission is expected to report daily on the state of the count, which began shortly after the polling stations closed, Tuesday evening.
Weah — the only African to win football’s most prestigious individual award, the Ballon d’Or — is popular among young people but must defend his record in office, while Boakai is an old hand who has worked in both the public and private sectors.
