In Liberia's presidential runoff election, opposition candidate Joseph Boakai led with 50.9% of the vote to former President George Weah's 49.1%, Liberia's National Elections Commission (NEC) announced on November 17.
The second round, held on November 14, followed a neck-and-neck race in the first round on October 10, in which both candidates received just over 43% of the vote, according to the NEC.
"A few moments ago, I spoke with president elect Joseph Boakai to congratulate him on his victory. I urge you to follow my example and accept the results of the elections," Weah said on national radio after the polls.
Weah has governed the country since 2017, when he defeated Boakai in the elections with 62% of the vote.
"We have a job ahead of us to do and I'm excited that the citizens have given us approval. First and foremost, we want to have a message of peace and reconciliation," Boakai told media, following the elections.
From 2006 to 2008, Boakai served as the country's vice president. Other candidates for office included an international development and humanitarian expert, Sara Beysolow Nyanti; a former Liberian ambassador to the United States, Nathaniel Barnes; the leader of the country's ruling Liberia National Union Party, Clarence Moniba; and others.
The President of Liberia is elected for a six-year term with a maximum limit of two terms in office.
Ahead of the elections, in late September, the West African state was subjected to some punitive measures imposed by the United States. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that visa restrictions would be imposed on individuals who "undermine democracy" in Liberia.
The West African country is still recovering from the 1989-2003 civil war and the 2013-2016 Ebola epidemic, which claimed thousands of lives.