Johnson-Sirleaf, stands poised to become Africa's first elected president. Why is she the first African woman to be officially given the mantle of leadership, wonders Gamal Nkrumah There was much to entertain and to shock in the Liberian presidential elections. The presidency in Liberia has always been a hazardous undertaking. The brutal 14-year-long Liberian civil war has been the sensational focus of media attention for many years. For this reason, many hopes are pinned on the outcome of the 8 November presidential run-off. With all the ballots counted, Ellen Johnson- Sirleaf wrested an impressive 60 per cent of the vote -- a performance that assures her the office of Liberian presidency. Despite a less than traditional setting to Liberia's presidential poll, the election of Johnson-Sirleaf is a historic landmark -- for Africa, as well as for Liberia. Nevertheless, warning against premature celebrations by her supporters, the National Electoral Commission (NEC) of Liberia Chairwoman Frances Johnson-Morris -- no relation to the president-elect -- quickly announced that "Madame Sirleaf has no right to declare herself the winner. Only the NEC does." Johnson-Morris went on to explain that "the vote must be certified before 23 November, when we will announce the final results." Indeed, the Liberian presidential race was so fierce one could almost believe the fate of Africa rests upon its outcome. With all the ballots counted, Johnson-Sirleaf is the clear winner and she and her supporters are cock-a-hoop following her triumph. Among the first casualties to bite the dust in presidential election is former AC Milan striker George Weah. Having failed to secure a majority for his youth-oriented programme, Weah is in a state. Stubbornly refusing to concede defeat, he has angrily called for the election to be nullified. Members of his Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) warned that they would boycott the new legislature if what they called the "massive electoral fraud" was not "addressed adequately". Johnson-Sirleaf retorted that the charge of "vote- rigging" was "absurd" and predicted, tongue-in- cheek, that Weah will "get over his disappointment". International observers from the UN, the EU and the US-based Carter Centre all say that they believe the election was largely free and fair. Among the African leaders who pronounced last Tuesday's Liberian presidential poll as "peaceful, transparent, free and fair" were Nigeria President Olusegun Obasanjo, Ghanaian President John Kufuor, South African President Thabo Mbeki and Senegalese President Abdulaye Wade. Herself part of the African political establishment, the Harvard-educated former Liberian finance minister is popular with the continent's leaders. Her presidential credentials are impeccable. She is perhaps the most representative of the country's veteran politicians and presents herself as a centrist problem-solver. In contrast, Weah is an outsider, and while he might be a star on the pitch, he has never rubbed shoulders with those who roam the corridors of power in Africa. Johnson-Sirleaf has offered Weah a ministerial position. She says it is a well-meaning attempt to bring lasting peace to Liberia. But, Weah has thrown cold water on her efforts to win him over. The crisis has conjured up many of the contradictory impulses in Liberian political culture in which Weah was subjected to a critical drubbing for being "uneducated". While Johnson-Sirleaf is cautious and diplomatic, Weah remains gut- wrenchingly candid. The difference reveals a fundamental divide in Liberian society between the descendants of the freed slaves, the so-called Americo-Liberians who founded the nation and have run the country and the far more numerous but politically powerless indigenous population. Johnson-Sirleaf is Americo-Liberian, Weah indigenous. The battle between the two rivals provides real insight into the ways this historical conflicted agenda continues to shape Liberian identity and politics. The vote divided the country along gender and literacy lines. The educated, the women and gender-sensitive men voted for Johnson-Sirleaf. "Men have failed us. Let's try a woman," is an often repeated refrain in the country these days. The long-suffering women of Liberia are today hopeful and upbeat. "Old Ma", as she is popularly called, is not an ordinary woman. A widowed mother of four and an affable albeit iron-willed grandmother of eight, Johnson-Sirleaf was popular with women. At the age of 67, Johnson-Sirleaf is a woman with a mission. Her campaign was no easy ride, but in the end it was done with magnificent sweep. Meanwhile, the illiterate, young men and ex- combatants voted for Weah, and the question of whether the angry, young men of Liberia can be placated remains. A former FIFA Player of the Year, Weah is a populist who represents the poor and disfranchised. Weah's supporters brandished the ominous banner "No Weah, no peace." Still, the prognosis is poor for Liberian peace and prosperity. Ideologically, Weah is not radically different from Johnson-Sirleaf and it is unlikely that there will be any profound disagreement over the need to accelerate the pace of economic reform. Political tension risks damaging the Liberian economy and the country's shaky peace process in the short-run. Liberia's civil war ended in August 2003 when Charles Taylor stepped down from power and went into exile in Nigeria. African leaders meeting in the Nigerian capital Abuja called on the Liberian people to "jealously guard the prevailing peace and to desist from any acts that are likely to return their country to crisis". But, the problem of the disgruntled young ex- combatants plagues the country and poisons the political air. And it is inextricably intertwined with the entrenchment of unemployment affecting some 30 per cent of the population. Liberia has one of the highest population growth rates in the world. And, the dysfunction of a Malthusian economy has become a permanent fixture of the mineral-rich West African state. An ex-banker with Citibank and the World Bank, Johnson-Sirleaf had campaigned in favour of the free market and privatisation and talks of democracy and political liberalisation. And these are themes Weah must embrace if he is to make a credible bid for national power in the future. If Johnson-Sirleaf is sworn-in as president of Liberia her story will inevitably turn into a potent modern myth.
