1st LD Writethru: Liberia's electoral body declares opposition candidate Weah as president-elect

MONROVIA, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- Liberia's electoral body on Friday formally declared George Weah, the candidate of the opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), as the president-elect following a presidential run-off election on Tuesday.

Head of the National Elections Commission Jerome Korkoya, at a press conference in Monrovia, said Weah recorded 61.5 percent of the total votes cast, with a total of 732,185 votes while Joseph Boakai, the incumbent vice president and presidential candidate of the governing Unity Party, recorded 38.5 percent votes with a total of 467,579 votes.

A total of 1,218,124 people voted in the delayed presidential run-off election.

Korkoya said, in line with the Liberian Constitution, the electoral body will issue a certificate of return to Weah and his running mate, Jewel Howard Taylor, the ex-wife of the former Liberian warlord, within the next seven days.

The presidential run-off election earlier slated for Nov 7, was delayed due to a "stay order" placed on the poll by the Liberian Supreme Court following a claim by the opposition Liberty Party that the elections were marred by "massive fraud and irregularities." Enditem