BREAKING: Liberian President George Weah Concedes Poll Defeat To Ex-VP Boakai
— Channels Television (@channelstv) November 18, 2023
Liberian leader and football legend George Weah conceded defeat to opposition leader Joseph Boakai after a tight presidential run-off, saying it was “time to put national interest above personal… pic.twitter.com/EEpl1pwzNe
General
Elections: incumbent president George Weah concedes poll defeat
On 10th October 2023, presidential and legislative elections were held in Liberia amid growing anger about corruption and the cost of living, with incumbent President George Weah seeking a second term. Following a run-off vote on 14th November 2023, George Weah conceded defeat to former vice-president Joseph Boakai, who won with 50.64% of the vote, setting the stage for a peaceful transition. This will be Liberia’s second democratic transition.
President-elect Boakai cancelled the victory celebrations after a car rammed into a crowd celebrating outside the headquarters of the Unity Party (UP), Boakai’s political party, killing at least two people and injuring dozens of others.
Prior to the elections, on 10th August 2023, at least two people were killed and dozens injured in violent clashes between the then ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) and the opposition Unity Party (UP) in Fofa, Lofa County. This and other reported incidents of electoral violence, and eight incidents of attacks against journalists, prompted the United Nations Human Rights Office to issue a statement.
#Liberia 🇱🇷 : The authorities authorized on 23/08 the reopening of the premises of Spoon Network, the country's largest independent press group. RSF welcomes this decision and recalls that the initial order, which led to the closure of the offices for 40 days, was abusive. https://t.co/VyaOkUMUol
— RSF (@RSF_inter) August 23, 2023
Expression
Independent media network ordered to close following defamation suit
On 14th July 2023, dozens of court officers arrived at the offices of Spoon Communication Network, Liberia’s largest independent media network, and ordered journalists and other employees to stop working under an order issued by the Montserrado County civil law court, effectively closing Spoon Communication Network.
The court order was issued in response to a defamation suit brought by Wilmot Smith, the former Director General of the Liberia Institute for Statistics and Geo-Information Service (LISGIS) over Spoon Communication Network’s coverage of corruption allegations made by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) against Smith and other government officials.
Furthermore, on 17th July 2023, the judge issued a summons on the network’s management and 19 of its staff members, over alleged insults and attacks against the court officers when they carried out the court order on 14th July 2023. The following day, on 18th July 2023, the Montserrado civil law court imposed fines ranging from 300 to 1,000 USD for contempt of court.
On 23rd August 2023, after 40 days of closure, the court ordered the re-opening of Spoon Communication Network’s offices.
According to Reporters without Borders (RSF), prior to this incident, in June 2023, the Council of Patriots, a group that supports the then ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), requested the government to shut down Spoon Communication Network immediately for “airing misinformation”, and threatened to do it themselves if the government failed to close the media network.