Liberian ex-warlord, footballer and tycoon vie to replace Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
There is no obvious frontrunner among the 20 candidates in Liberia’s presidential election race, but the cast of characters is riveting
Twenty candidates will contest presidential elections in Liberia in October, among them a former warlord, a footballer and a fashion model, as Ellen Johnson Sirleaf steps down after two terms, the electoral commission said Monday. There is no obvious frontrunner to replace the Nobel Prize-winning Sirleaf as head of the fragile west African state she was elected to lead in 2005 following a long civil war, one that has left deep scars on its economy and social fabric. Elections for the presidency and House of Representatives take place on October 10 — the first time since the end of the conflict in 2003 that Liberia will be holding a vote without the presence of UN peacekeepers. Ahead of the opening of campaigning on Monday, the UN appealed for the ballot to go ahead smoothly, urging all "to spare no effort in their pursuit of peaceful elections". Among the president/vice-president tickets put forward by political parties, key figures from the civil conflict loom large. Senator Prince...
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