editor
Liberia’s outgoing President George Weah has said he has no plans of seeking re-election in 2029 after his defeat in recent elections.
Weah, a former international footballer, was elected in 2017 but lost in November polls to Joseph Boakai, who is due to be inaugurated on Monday.
Addressing church congregants on Sunday on the outskirts of the capital, Monrovia, Weah said he would be 63 in six years, and would not be willing to be active in politics beyond 65 years.
“I am 57 now and our retirement age is 65 and six years from now I will be 63 and I cannot work for two years,” he said.
“I did not come into politics to hijack power. You are not going to drag me to politics until I reach 90 years,” he added.
“I became a president, so I say thank you Liberians that I became president whether it was one time or 50 times, but I can guarantee you that it’s one time.”
Weah did not reveal what he planned to do next but said he would work for peace and prosperity, in one of the world’s poorest countries.
He won praise for conceding and promoting a non-violent transition in a region marred by coups.
Before entering politics, Weah was the only African to win football’s most prestigious individual award, the Ballon d’Or during a career as a striker for top-flight European teams.
Boakai, who is 79, won a narrow victory over Weah by a margin of just 20,567 ballots with a 50.64 percent vote share.
Source:News Day
