Liberian President George Weah has announced his intention to run for re-election for a second six-year term in the elections scheduled for October 2023.
Weah has stated during his State of the Nation address that he will appear «to ask for a second renewal of the mandate» he obtained six years ago and has maintained that it will be «a mandate to continue the good work done, continuity and stability, transformation, development and growth and consolidate peace.»
«This second mandate will allow us to consolidate the progress made in recent years and accelerate the trajectory of growth, development and prosperity of Liberia,» he stressed, as reported by the Liberian newspaper ‘FrontPage Africa’.
«Regardless of your political affiliation, religious beliefs or ethnic backgrounds, I ask you to join us as we address the years we lost to civil conflict and war to return our country to the place it deserves in the community of nations,» he said.
In this sense, Weah has stressed that «it is possible to do it, and we all have to do it together.» «We will go and meet with you in your cities, in your villages, in your districts, in your clans so that together we can build a stronger alliance for the progress of Liberia,» he explained.
«We have done our part in fulfilling most of the promises we made, while preserving peace in the nation and fostering its democratic values. We are on an irreversible path of sustainable growth that will necessarily and inevitably lead to progress as a nation and prosperity as a people,» he argued.
«When we stood before you to ask for a first term, we promised change for hope. Now, having walked this journey with you, you have seen change. Now we want to ensure that it is change you can count on,» he concluded.
The opposition has accused the Liberian authorities of corruption and mismanagement. The United States announced in August 2022 sanctions against three senior Liberian government officials, which led Weah to remove them, considering the accusations from Washington «serious».
The fight against corruption is set to be one of the major issues in the campaign for the 2023 presidential elections. The current president came to power in 2017 with the aim of improving the quality of life of the population, but in these years scandals and suspicions about the political class have continued.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
