Former Liberian President George Weah has confirmed he will contest the 2029 presidential election, ending months of speculation about his political future.
Weah made the declaration on Thursday, 30 July, at the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) USA Chapter Convention in the United States. He told supporters gathered at the event that he would once again seek Liberia’s highest office. “Today, I declare that I will be a candidate for the presidency of the Republic of Liberia in 2029,” Weah said, as reported by Smart News Liberia.
The former president, a football icon before entering politics, led Liberia from 2018 until his defeat by Joseph Boakai in the 2023 general election. He conceded that contest gracefully, a move widely credited to him even by his critics. His early entry into the 2029 presidential election race positions it as one of Liberia’s most closely watched contests in years, according to allAfrica.
Weah used his speech to attack the record of President Boakai’s administration. He accused the government of allowing the economy to deteriorate, pointing to rising taxes and struggling businesses. He also claimed that public confidence in state institutions had been damaged since he left office, a charge the Boakai government firmly rejects.
The Boakai administration responded swiftly. Deputy Information Minister Daniel Sando dismissed Weah’s comeback bid as insignificant, telling journalists at the Ministry of Information that the declaration carried no real weight, as reported by Smart News Liberia. Sando also accused the former president of presiding over a criminal network that the current government says it is now dismantling.
Weah’s renewed ambition for the 2029 presidential election is not new territory for the former Ballon d’Or winner. In June, at the CDC’s 22nd anniversary celebration in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County, he told supporters that “the road to 2029 begins today,” according to Smart News Liberia. He used that platform to accuse the Boakai government of weakening the rule of law and turning Liberia into what he called a narco state, though he did not present evidence for the claim.
Political observers say Weah enters the 2029 presidential election in a different position from his first run in 2017. He is now a former head of state whose record in office is well known to voters, rather than an untested outsider. Boakai, too, is no longer a newcomer to voters ahead of the 2029 presidential election, having already led the country for close to three years, as noted by allAfrica.
The opposition Movement for Economic Empowerment (MOVEE) has already thrown its support behind Weah’s bid. The party formally endorsed his candidacy hours after the CDC convention speech, describing his political comeback as irreversible, according to allAfrica. MOVEE also criticised the Boakai government over corruption allegations, drug trafficking concerns and what it called poor governance, claims the administration has consistently denied.
Weah was born on 1 October 1966 in Monrovia and rose from the Clara Town slum to become one of football’s greatest players, winning the Ballon d’Or in 1995 before turning to public service.
With the 2029 presidential election still more than three years away, both major camps now face pressure to shape the national conversation early. Every policy decision the Boakai government makes between now and then will likely be measured against the looming 2029 presidential election.
The declaration effectively opens Liberia’s 2029 presidential election campaign season more than three years ahead of the vote, setting up a rematch between two men who have already faced each other twice at the ballot box.
