George Weah

==Political career==
===2005 presidential bid===
Following the end of the [[Second Liberian Civil War]], Weah announced his intention to run for [[President of Liberia]] in the [[2005 Liberian general election|2005 election]], forming the [[Congress for Democratic Change]] to back his candidacy. While Weah was a popular figure in Liberia, opponents cited his lack of formal education as a handicap to his ability to lead the country, in contrast with his [[Harvard University|Harvard]]-educated opponent, [[Ellen Johnson Sirleaf]]. Analysts also noted Weah's lack of experience, calling him a "[[Babes in the Wood|babe-in-the-woods]]", while Sirleaf had served as minister of finance in the [[William Tolbert]] administration in the 1970s and had held positions at [[Citibank]], the [[World Bank]] and the United Nations. Weah's eligibility to run for presidency was also called into question as it was reported that he had become a French citizen in his footballing career at Paris Saint-Germain, but these complaints were rebuffed by the electoral commission in court and Weah was allowed to proceed.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4403120.stm |title=Profile: George Weah |website=BBC News |date=11 November 2005|access-date=27 December 2017}}</ref>

Weah obtained a plurality of votes in the first round of voting on 11 October, garnering 28.3% of the vote. This qualified him to compete in a run-off election against Sirleaf, the second placed candidate. However, he lost the run-off to Sirleaf on 8 November, garnering only 40.6% to 59.4% for Sirleaf. Weah alleged that the election had been rigged through voter intimidation and ballot tampering, and many of his supporters protested the results in the streets of Monrovia. However, after assurances that the vote was fair, several prominent African leaders called on Weah's supporters to accept the result with grace and dignity, and Sirleaf became president. The [[African Union]] had characterised the election as "peaceful, transparent, and fair".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4433844.stm |website=BBC News |title=African leaders hail Liberia poll |date=13 November 2005}}</ref>

Weah's lack of education became a campaign issue. He has been highly critical of those who say he is not fit to govern: "With all their education and experience, they have governed this nation for hundreds of years. They have never done anything for the nation." He initially claimed to have a BA degree in sport management from [[Parkwood University]] in London; however, this is an unaccredited [[diploma mill]], which awards certificates without requiring study.<ref>{{cite news |title=George Weah in Diploma-Mill Scandal |first=David |last=Goldenberg |newspaper=Gelf Magazine |date=22 April 2005 |url=http://www.gelfmagazine.com/mt/archives/george_weah_in_diplomamill_scandal.html}}</ref> Weah then pursued a degree in business administration at [[DeVry University]] in Miami.<ref>[http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/a-13-2007-06-19-voa9-66717302.html?textmode=0 Liberia's George Weah to Seek a College Degree.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110104182700/http://www.voanews.com/english/news/a-13-2007-06-19-voa9-66717302.html?textmode=0 |date=4 January 2011 }} ''[[Voice of America]]''. 19 June 2007. Retrieved 30 November 2009</ref><ref>[https://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/2010-08-11-428543297_x.htm George Weah gets educated in quest for election.] ''[[USA Today]]''. 11 August 2010. Retrieved 11 August 2010</ref>
{{wikinews|Liberia: Former football striker George Weah wins presidential election}}

===2009–2016===
Weah also remained active in Liberian politics, returning from the United States in 2009 to successfully campaign for the Congress for Democratic Change candidate in the [[Montserrado County]] senatorial by-election.<ref>[http://www.liberianobserver.com/node/3135 Weah Confronted.] Liberian Observer 25 November 2009. Retrieved 30 November 2009</ref> Some analysts saw these moves as preparation for a repeat run for the Presidency in 2011,<ref>[http://www.theliberiandialogue.org/articles/c072207tws.htm College-bound George Weah gave us something to talk about.] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725033845/http://www.theliberiandialogue.org/articles/c072207tws.htm |date=25 July 2008 }} The Liberian Dialogue 22 July 2007. Retrieved 30 November 2009</ref> and Weah did indeed later announce his intention to challenge Sirleaf in the [[2011 Liberian general election|2011 election]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201008260072.html |title=Liberia: 'I Have Knowledge' |date=26 August 2010 |work=AllAfrica}}</ref> After a series of failed alliances with other opposition parties, the Congress for Democratic Change chose Weah as its 2011 vice presidential candidate, running with presidential candidate [[Winston Tubman]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.1847post.com/article/brumskine-siakor-another-dream-ticket |title=Brumskine-Siakor: Another Dream Ticket? |newspaper=The 1847 Post |date=9 February 2011 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110411005144/http://www.1847post.com/article/brumskine-siakor-another-dream-ticket | archive-date=11 April 2011 }}</ref> However, Sirleaf was re-elected, with the Tubman / Weah ticket receiving only 9.3% of the vote.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}

In 2014, he ran for election to the [[Senate of Liberia]] as a Congress for Democratic Change candidate in Montserrado County. He was elected to the Liberian Senate on 20 December 2014. Weah defeated Robert Sirleaf, the son of President Sirleaf, becoming the first Liberian international athlete elected to represent a county in the Legislature. He won a landslide victory, receiving 99,226 votes, which represented 78.0% of the total votes from the 141 polling centers, while Sirleaf, his closest rival received 13,692 votes, which is nearly 11% in the election marred only by a low turnout.<ref>[http://www.necliberia.org/senate2014/county_30_2.html Montserrado County] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180113151037/http://www.necliberia.org/senate2014/county_30_2.html |date=13 January 2018 }} NEC Liberia</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.liberianobserver.com |title=Top News – The Liberian Observer|access-date=16 June 2016}}</ref> Following his election, Weah only occasionally attended sessions of the Senate and did not introduce or sponsor any legislation.<ref>{{cite news |title=George Weah, an ex-footballer, wins Liberia's presidential election |url=https://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21733239-election-marks-liberias-first-democratic-transfer-power-1944-george-weah|access-date=31 December 2017 |newspaper=The Economist |date=29 December 2017}}</ref>

===2016 presidential bid===
In April 2016, Weah announced his intention to run for President of Liberia in the [[2017 Liberian general election|2017 election]],<ref name="Weah to run for president again">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-36166570 |title=Liberia ex-footballer George Weah to run for president again |website=BBC Sport |date=28 April 2016|access-date=25 October 2017}}</ref> standing for the [[Coalition for Democratic Change]]. After winning the first round of the 2017 election with 38.4% of the vote, he and [[Joseph Boakai]] of the [[Unity Party (Liberia)|Unity Party]] went into the second round of the election. In the second round, Weah was elected President of Liberia, winning a run-off against vice president Joseph Boakai with more than 60% of the vote.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ex-soccer star 'King George' Weah wins Liberia's presidency |url=https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-liberia-election/ex-soccer-star-king-george-weah-wins-liberias-presidency-idUKKBN1EM1O6|access-date=28 December 2017 |work=Reuters |date=28 December 2017}}</ref>