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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_tta_pageable][vc_tta_section title=”Section 2″ tab_id=”1518725501892-80f9c0e6-3aff”][vc_column_text]The 79 year old – Africa’s first elected female President – ruled the West African nation for two terms. (16 January 2006 – 22 January 2018)[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Section 1″ tab_id=”1518725501827-400575b2-59fa”][vc_column_text]After 12 years in power, it was finally time for Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to hand over the country’s leadership to a new face.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Section” tab_id=”1518726479383-f478eecd-7cf5″][vc_column_text]The battle to replace Sirleaf mainly pit her vice Joseph Boakai and former football star George Weah.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Section” tab_id=”1518726544474-5d5e0d4c-ddf1″][vc_column_text]Liberia’s general elections were held on 10 October 2017, but none of the presidential candidates garnered the required 50 percent plus one vote.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Section” tab_id=”1518726650192-fefa2e47-72c0″][vc_column_text]The top two candidates, Boakai and Weah, went on to face off in a runoff vote, which was held on 26 December.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Section” tab_id=”1518726730009-8869958a-9064″][vc_column_text]George Weah was declared winner of the run-off poll with around 62 per cent of the votes.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Section” tab_id=”1518726814198-fb64e2d2-c3b5″][vc_column_text]The former football star’s inauguration took place on 22 January 2018.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Section” tab_id=”1518726910843-a76df361-1b62″][vc_column_text]The change of power was Liberia’s first peaceful transition in 70 years.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Section” tab_id=”1518726911073-2c9faf9d-f0e3″][vc_column_text]George Weah however has so much in his plate as president. Primarily, he took over a nation whose population largely lives below the poverty line (more than half).[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Section” tab_id=”1518727075676-a3cbeb48-5ab3″][vc_column_text]However, he pledged to prioritize lifting the economy, and to begin with, took a 25 percent pay cut. This he hoped would influence other government officials to also take pay cuts in order to shore up state finances.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_pageable][/vc_column][/vc_row]