Off the wire
China tightens frugality campaign for New Year holidays  • 1st LD-Writethru: 126,000 Beijing households bid farewell to coal stoves in 2017  • Britain ready to hail record number of tourists in 2018  • (Recast) Feature: Singaporean polar bear celebrates 27th birthday  • Sanxingdui culture-themed post office opens in SW China  • 16th China-Myanmar Border Trade Fair opens  • Chinese Vice Premier Zhang inspects 2022 Winter Games venues  • Nigeria dispels reports of fuel prices hike  • Thailand to set up rescue centers in major national parks  • China reports increase in environmental pollution punishments  
You are here:  

1st LD Writethru: Liberians vote to choose new leader in presidential run-off

Xinhua,December 26, 2017 Adjust font size:

MONROVIA, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Polling stations opened across Liberia on Tuesday for the second round of presidential election as citizens voted to choose a new leader.

The much-anticipated second round of voting is a contest between opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) candidate George Weah and Liberian vice president Joseph Boakai, the governing Unity Party's candidate.

The winner will replace Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa's first female president, who is stepping down after two terms in office.

In the capital city of Monrovia, there was a heavy presence of security personnel in all polling centers, and at least three queue controllers at each of the centers.

Terence Wennah, a voter, said the voting process had been smooth and fast as he spent less than 20 minutes on queue to cast his vote.

Alfred Thomas, another voter, said it was too early to describe a seemingly low turnout as "voter apathy."

Thomas said more voters are likely to come out to perform their civic rights before the close of polls at 3 p.m. local time.

No candidate was able to secure the 50 percent plus one valid votes cast required by law to be elected president in the first round on Oct. 10.

Weah, a former soccer star, garnered 38.4 percent of the vote in the first round against Boakai's 28.8 percent.

Liberian police on Monday said security had been beefed up throughout the country ahead of the presidential run-off, allaying fears of possible violence. Enditem