Liberia’s new president elect, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, said on Wednesday that she hoped to find a role for her defeated rival George Weah in a broad-based government.
Weah, a former football star and a hero to many of Liberia’s unemployed youth, lost to Johnson-Sirleaf in Liberia’s first election since the end of its latest 14-year bout of civil war.
Speaking on the Nigerian leg of a post-election tour of Liberia’s West African neighbours, Johnson-Sirleaf said the new government which will take power next year would be inclusive.
“We are still hoping to find a role for Mr Weah,” she told reporters.
“As of now, we’ve not reached an agreement on him picking up a position, but we’ll be ready to talk to him. We haven’t decided yet,” she said.
Following the election, which Johnson-Sirleaf won in a head to head run-off after coming second to Weah in the first round, some of the footballer’s supporters alleged there had been ballot-rigging.
But the international community and African leaders urged Liberians to accept the results, and Johnson-Sirleaf is on course to be formally named Africa’s first female president early next year.
“We are committed to have a government of inclusion. That will mean looking across party lines and across ethnic lines to find those who can serve the government,” she said.
Johnson-Sirleaf said that she also planned to restructure the Liberian government to cut it down in size and make it more efficient, but had not yet finalised her ministerial team.
“We’ll get to that some time next year, right after the inauguration,” she said.
Earlier, Johnson-Sirleaf met President Olusegun Obasanjo and leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) to thank them for supporting Liberia’s peace process and election.
Following her visit to Nigeria she was due to fly on later on Wednesday to continue her tour, which has already taken in Côte d’Ivoire. She will visit Ghana, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Burkina Faso. – AFP