Violence marred the end of Liberian President George Weah’s re-election campaign on Sunday, with scuffles breaking out between his supporters and members of the opposition during a parade in the capital Monrovia, according to an AFP journalist.
On Sunday evening, no official toll was released, but AFP reported at least five men injured, some with huge gashes on their skulls.
Stones were thrown at each other by supporters of former football player Weah’s political group, the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), and members of the opposition ALCOP, and police shot tear gas in reaction.
The country’s main political parties have promised calm elections, but the deaths of three people in clashes last month between different political factions have fueled fears of electoral violence in the country, which had back-to-back civil wars between 1989 and 2003, killing over 250,000 people.
Before the first round of voting on Tuesday, voters’ top goals have been described as peace and development.
To win, a candidate must get at least 50 percent plus one of the votes cast.
If no party receives enough votes in the first round, the two parties with the most votes in the first round will compete in a run-off election won by a simple majority.
Weah, who is competing against 19 other presidential contenders, gathered thousands of supporters in the capital on Sunday for his campaign’s final act.
“We must all cherish this peace and continue to preserve it, because without peace, our world will be difficult. Without peace, development will not take place,” he said in a speech at his party’s headquarters.
Weah came to power promising to create jobs and invest in education, but critics say he has failed to meet his pledges.
