Football legend Weah sets his gaze on second presidential term as Liberia votes

Liberians vote on Tuesday whether to grant football icon George Weah a second term as president; in a country still scarred by back-to-back civil wars, peace is among the top concerns of voters.

The main political parties have pledged that the presidential and legislative elections in the West African country will pass off peacefully.

But the recent killing of three people in clashes between their supporters has fuelled fears of a return to violence.

Trouble also marred the close of Weah’s re-election campaign on Sunday, with his supporters and opposition members throwing stones at each other and police intervening with tear gas.

At least five men were with injuries, some with large gashes on their heads.

“What we expect most is peace,” said Melvine Zoega, 37, among a group of men discussing their concerns in the city of Buchanan, 150 kilometres (90 miles) east of the capital Monrovia.

Healthcare, education and roads, jobs and the cost of living all came up, but only after fears of a return to violence.

Between 1989 and 2003, the conflicts in Liberia left more than 250,000 people dead.

Incumbent Weah, 57, who won the 2017 elections, faces 19 presidential candidates and a likely second-round runoff in early November. But he has campaigned on the slogan “One round victory”.

“Without peace, development will not take place.”

The election is the first held since the United Nations ended its peacekeeping mission in Liberia in 2018.

The European Union, the African Union, the West African bloc, ECOWAS, and the United States have deployed observers in a region hit by a string of recent coups.

Within 15 days, the initial results are expected.