Election fate

Liberians lined up for hours to vote Tuesday in what was the first free election organized by Liberians in decades; the 2005 election was managed by the United Nations. There are 1.8 million registered voters.

"It brings joy to my heart to see this," said Augustine Johnson, 39, outside a polling station. "It's my first time voting. There was the war, then I was in exile, but now I’m here to vote for my country’s future."

The West African nation made history in 2005 when it elected the first female head of state in Africa. Until then, Liberia was most known for its brutal civil war that showcased child soldiers and left 250-thousand people dead.

Sirleaf, 72, was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize last week, but that did not win over her critics at home.

Suibu Kiaw bangs away at an old typewriter on the side of a busy street. Eight years out of war, Liberia still doesn’t have a national electricity system. Kiaw earns a meagre living typing documents for customers on his antiquated machine.

The lack of jobs and electricity, as well as widespread corruption that has dogged Sirleaf’s administration, are some of the reasons he did not vote for Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

"I've seen how far she can go," says Kiaw. "It does not attract me to vote for her this time"

Unofficial results are streaming in from polling stations across the country, but Liberia’s National Electoral Commission (NEC) won't release final results until Oct. 26th. Remote villages and bad roads will delay the official tally, but the NEC has promised to announce provisional results in installments starting Thursday.

It's not clear whether Sirleaf will reclaim her seat after just one round.

As the 72-year old woman, known fondly as "Ma Ellen," campaigned across the country, people waited for hours to catch a glimpse of her. Traditional drum groups and marching bands welcomed her at almost every stop, and a large rally to launch her Unity Party campaign was dubbed a "human tsunami" and shut down Liberia's capital.

Looking ahead

Sirleaf has touted her many accomplishments and defended her track record in rebuilding the war-torn country.

"When we took over, there were no lights, no water, bad roads, dysfunctional institutions, schools, clinics," said Sirleaf, during an interview in Monrovia. "We haven't reached the levels where we want to reach, but we have restored those basic things."

After leaving a polling station, Rebecca Siakor, 56, displayed her ink-stained finger that marked her vote. The mother of six says her husband was killed in the war and she's confident Sirleaf is the best person to maintain stability.

"I go to work, I go home, no one harassing me. No one giving me trouble," said the market woman.

"I want her to finish what she has started. She has developed our country. Our children can go to school."

Sirleaf is a Harvard-educated economist and the 'darling' of the international community. She’s convinced foreign countries to forgive nearly $5 billion (3.6 billion euros) in debt and wooed billions more in foreign investment from mining, forestry and oil companies.

But many Liberians feel that the benefits have not trickled down to the poorest people yet. There's an 85 percent unemployment rate, although most Liberians engage in petty trade hawking cellphones, used clothing, food and water on the street. More than half of Liberians live on less than a dollar a day.

At a small cook shop in Monrovia, Saybah Jallah stirs a pot of bubbling soup. The mother of five voted for Sirleaf in 2005, but not this time.

"My husband, he's not working. My children are not going to school. I struggle. Struggle."

For Jallah, Sirleaf's Nobel Peace Prize doesn't mean much. She'd prefer cheaper rice, better schools with trained teachers, and less crime. Violence against women is still rampant in Liberia.

In a slum area of Monrovia, 22-year old Mohamed Kuma is a former child soldier.

He first held a gun when he was 12. A decade later, he steals cellphones to survive.

"I don’t got a job to do. So at the end of the day I will still come on the street to steal. I will always steal from people. I will always smoke drugs."

Tough competition

He voted for Sirleaf's main opponent, Winston Tubman, but mostly because of his running mate George Weah, who was once one of Europe's premier football player. Weah beat Sirleaf in the first round of 2005’s presidential election, but lost in the second vote. Weah is also hailed as a native son, which appeals to Liberians who resent the elite politicians who have historically ruled the country.

Tubman and Weah don't have a platform that's much different than Sirleaf's, and have admitted that. They're counting on votes from disgruntled youth.

Sirleaf says her critics are impatient.

"It's difficult for them to understand that development takes time. They figured that I would just turn things around, you know, there would just be a quick fix."

Liberia's female President is hoping for a victory in the first round. But, there are 16 presidential candidates in total, and Liberia has a history of voting along tribal and ethnic lines. A former warlord-turned-Senator, Prince Johnson, will capture a large chunk of his vote-rich home county, Nimba, and that could steal any candidate's chance of an outright majority. If Sirleaf doesn't get 50 percent of the vote, then Liberians will have to vote again in a run-off election in early November.

Author: Bonnie Allen, Monrovia
Editor: Rob Mudge