Updated 9.15pm
Former football star George Weah has defeated Vice President Joseph Boakai to win Liberia's presidential run-off election and succeed incumbent Ellen Johnson Sirleaf next month, the country's first democratic transition in over 70 years.
With 98.1 percent of the vote counted, Weah led with 61.5 percent to Boakai's 38.5 percent, National Election Commission Chairman Jerome Korkoyah told reporters in the capital Monrovia on Thursday.
At his party headquarters outside Monrovia, tears streamed down Weah's face as he greeted supporters from a balcony. Outside, young fans ran through the streets and blared car horns as dusk fell over the city.
"Success for George Weah is victory for the whole country," a 47-year-old engineer named Randall Zarkpah said as he walked home with his young son.
"When you feel sick for some time and you receive proper medication - that is how I feel now. He will be good for our country. He is King George!"
Weah grew up in Clara Town slum in Monrovia and went on to become the only African to win FIFA World Player of the Year, starring for AC Milan, Paris St Germain and Chelsea.
His rags-to-riches story helped him tap into dissatisfaction with...
