Liberia: Weah claims fraud as Sirleaf takes early lead in presidential race

Former finance minister Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf took an early lead November 9 in the race for the Liberian presidency, as her soccer star rival George Weah said that the run-off vote had not been free and fair. With results in from a third of polling stations across the West African nation, the National Elections Commission said that Sirleaf had won 60.4 percent of the ballots cast in Tuesday’s second-round vote and Weah had captured 39.6 percent. As the first preliminary and partial votes were being announced, the former AC Milan striker was declaring that the ballot had been fixed.