Liberia: violent clashes ahead of 10 Oct general election raise security concerns

Liberia’s incumbent President George Weah, who is seeking a second six-year term, faces off against 19 other candidates in Tuesday’s (10 October) election, whose result will be determined by debates around the economy, corruption, drug use and the civil war.
Over 2.4 million voters in Liberia will head to the polls on 10 October to elect a new president and legislators. The country’s electoral commission promises a free, fair, and transparent election, though there are growing fears among key opposition parties about the credibility. These concerns were further exacerbated as the election has shown signs of turning violent when on Sunday (8 October) clashes broke out between supporters of the incumbent, a former football star, and the opposition, in the capital Monrovia. Supporters of Weah’s political group, the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), and members from the opposition All Liberia Coalition Party, ALCOP, threw stones at each other, and police fired tear gas.
19 candidates hoping to replace the incumbent, including two main challengers — former vice president Joseph Nyuma Boakai and businessman Alexander Cummings. There are a few key issues at stake in Liberia’s upcoming presidential election that could affect how Liberians vote — the dire state of the economy, rampant corruption, drug use and the civil war. With inflation running high, the economy remains the principal issue for many voters. “Corruption is an unending story and will influence votes, however, the deciding factor will be the issues around the economy which affect Liberians directly,” says Joshua Kulah, a lecturer of political science at the University of Liberia. As the country is battling with increased drug use, all candidates have also recognized the rise of drug smuggling and spoken about it on the campaign trail. Another hotly debated topic has been the legacy of Liberia’s back-to-back civil wars between 1989 and 2003 in which half of the country was displaced and as many as a quarter-million people reportedly died.