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Liberia’s president and former international footballer George Weah announced Monday that he will run for a second term in October, amid growing criticism that he has been out of touch with a population facing steep price increases and food shortages. denied.
“My fellow citizens, I go to you at once and ask you to renew the second mandate you gave me six years ago,” Ware said at his annual National said in his speech.
Weah promised “delegation of opportunity, delegation of change, delegation of development.”
He also defended his first term, stating: .”
Elections are scheduled for October 10 in the West African country, which is still recovering from a spate of civil wars that killed around 250,000 people between 1989 and 2003.
Ravaged by the Ebola pandemic and one of the poorest countries in the world, the country of five million people has been hit hard by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
According to World Bank statistics, about half of the population lives on less than $1.90 a day.
Weah rose to power in 2018 after winning the October 2017 elections and becoming the first and only African to win the Ballon d’Or, football’s most prestigious individual award, in 1995. bottom.
The 56-year-old was criticized for leaving Liberia for more than a month late last year.
He went abroad at the end of October and participated in a series of political rallies in many countries. It was also to see the soccer player’s son represent the United States at the World Cup in Qatar.
Weah shared a photo and video he took with his son in Qatar on Twitter, saying he was a “proud dad” that the US national team qualified for the knockout stage.
But images of Ware enjoying himself in the stands in Qatar showed that while he was a “guest of honor,” the struggle in Liberia went awry, with many compatriots venting their anger on social media.
– Liberia on “Autopilot” –
Opposition parties have accused former Vice President Joseph Boacay of what he sees as a round-the-world trip between Qatar and international summits in Morocco, Egypt, France, Monaco and the United States. said Liberia was on “autopilot”.
“We continue to witness a lack of leadership, irresponsible behavior, lack of concern, impunity, and abuse of finances,” the Unionist Party magnate added, adding that others would run the country instead of Weah. He suggested that it might have been possible to represent
The president did not appear in his homeland until December 8, where his people are battling high prices and shortages of basic necessities.
A day earlier, hundreds of Liberians responded to calls from opposition groups to peacefully demonstrate, denouncing Weah’s incompetence and indifference to the plight of ordinary Liberians.
Fighting corruption was one of Ware’s main campaign promises, but he accepted the resignations of three close allies in September after the United States accused them of corruption.
Weah initially suspended their role after Washington sanctioned them for charges related to multimillion-dollar contracts and misappropriation of at least $1.5 million in public funds.
Transplantation remains endemic in the country, with watchdog Transparency International ranking Liberia 136th out of 180 countries in its 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index.
Founded as a colony by former U.S. slaves in 1822, Liberia became the first republic in Africa 25 years later.
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