LIBERIA: Liberians will choose between two strikingly different candidates in the second round of the country's presidential election on November 8th.
The electorate has been asked to revisit the polls to choose between former international football star George Weah (39) and long-time political activist and former IMF banker Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (66).
The two topped the first round of the election on October 11th which involved 22 presidential hopefuls. The run-off between the two has been scheduled by the National Elections Commission (NEC) because neither Mr Weah nor Ms Johnson Sirleaf passed the 50 per cent of the poll needed for outright victory.
It would appear that Mr Weah - he won 28 per cent of the poll to Ms Johnson Sirleaf's 20 per cent - is the front runner in the race for the presidency. Enormously popular with younger Liberians, he is also considered untainted by the nation's brutal past.
The former world, European and FIFA footballer of the year is also a UN goodwill ambassador who most recently focused his efforts on disarming the 100,000 ex-combatants who fought in the 14-year civil war that only ended in 2003.
Ms Johnson Sirleaf's support lies with the older generation and the descendants of the African slaves freed by the US and transported back to the continent in 1822, where they founded Liberia.
Although considered a member of the mistrusted elite, she has strong support among Liberia's women and those who attribute the nation's woes to previous male leaders. If she were to win she would become the first female African head of state.
Analysts are reluctant to call the head-to-head until all the 20 defeated candidates from the first poll decide which of the two challengers they will urge their supporters to vote for.
Consequently, Liberia's political elites are in deep negotiations as the former candidates try to trade their support base for power in the new government.
With eight of the 20 candidates already committing themselves to Mr Weah and his Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) party, the early indications point to him becoming president.
Varney Sherman, a Liberia Action Party candidate who came in fourth, told local media on Tuesday his support for Mr Weah was in part to acknowledge the educated class's responsibility for the poor state of Liberia.
"I have decided to identify ourselves with the movement [ CDC] because that is our root, it is where we belong, and because it is the plight of underprivileged and disadvantaged Liberians that motivated so many of us to leave our successful or growing careers to get involved with politics."
In the international community many would prefer to see Ms Johnson Sirleaf at the helm. " We would fear that Weah could be easily manipulated by those who do not have Liberia's interests at heart. Although successful, he was poorly educated and has no real political background," said one senior UN official.