Liberia’s outgoing President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has been axed by leaders of the country’s ruling Unity Party (UP) over allegations of meddling with last year’s presidential elections which its candidate lost.

Johnson Sirleaf, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who has ruled the country for close to 12 years has however denied the party’s allegations that she held inappropriate private meeting with the country’s election magistrates before the October 10 polls.

A statement distributed on Sunday announcing the expulsion, said four other officers of the party were also shown the exit door for actions which they said could sabotage the continued existence of the party.

“The behavior of the expelled persons constitutes sabotage and undermined the existence of the party,” the statement detailing the decision of the UP’s executive committee said.

The statement added that Johnson Sirleaf and the other expelled members had violated several rules including a requirement to fully support all Unity Party candidates in elections.

The party’s candidate in the Presidential polls, Vice President Joseph Boakai was subsequently trounced by former soccer star, George Opong Weah in the re-run which was conducted on December 26, 2017.

 

George Weah is expected to be sworn in later this year to mark the first democratic transition of power in Liberia in her over  70 years of existence.