Former international football player and current president of Liberia, Georges Weah, has completed his three years as head of the country since his election on 18 January 2018. Its track record is mixed, between broken promises and a growing disappointment of the people, all in a context of health crisis that has brought down the economy of many countries. He still has three more years left before his first term, and the people expect a great deal from him.
The election of Georges Weah as head of Liberia in January 2018 had created a lot of hope, especially among young people. With his ambitious programme for the poor and youth, Georges Weah was elected with 61.5% of the vote. Three years later, it is the status quo, the situation remains very difficult for the majority of Liberians.
Added to this is the impact of the current Covid-19 health crisis, even though the country recorded only 1912 cases with 84 deaths. The lockdown decreed by President Georges Weah during the month of April 2020 has aggravated food security and slowed the tourism contribution that represents a considerable weight in the economic development of the country. GDP contracted by 3% in 2020 in this West African country of less than five million inhabitants, marked by the civil war of 1989-2003 and the Ebola epidemic of 2014-2016.
Of the 87 promises made by President Georges Weah during his campaign, only five have been implemented after three years, according to Naymote, an NGO responsible for evaluating the achievements of the Liberian President. These five remarkable achievements of the Head of State include the free of charge of the public university, the construction of roads and the renovation work of some slums. But these ambitious projects, as ambitious as they are, are tarnished by suspicions of corruption and fraud.
Politically, the final results of the December 8, 2020 election have still not been announced. Senatorial elections coupled with a referendum to amend the Constitution but the people are still not built. According to the partial results, the ruling party lost senators and the “no” in the referendum is majority. The referendum concerned the reduction of the presidential mandate, but the opponents campaigned until the “no” prevailed. They feared that this amendment to the Constitution would open the door to a possible third term for President Georges Weah.
