Joseph Boakai has been sworn in as Liberia’s president, following his election victory over former football star George Weah.

The 79-year-old narrowly beat former Ballon d’Or winner Weah in November’s run-off poll with 50.64 percent of the votes to 49.36 percent.

He was sworn in for a six-year term during a ceremony in parliament in the capital Monrovia at 10 am (10:00 GMT) on Monday, in the presence of several foreign leaders and diplomatic delegations.

Thelagostimes gathered that Boakai has 40 years of political experience already behind him.

He was vice president from 2006 to 2018 under Liberia’s first female president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, before being beaten by Weah in the 2017 election.

November’s poll in the West African country was peaceful in a region that has seen a succession of military coups in recent years in Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea and Niger.

However, the small nation of five million has been plagued with corruption, high levels of poverty and a weak justice system, after years of civil war and an Ebola outbreak.

“Expectations of Boakai’s presidency are high,” Larry Nyanquoi, a former local official in Nimba County, told the AFP news agency.

Boakai is “seen as somebody who has not engaged in corruption and one who has tried to live the simplest possible life.”

Liberians expect Boakai to also ensure a stable supply of electricity and water, and to improve the road infrastructure to attract investment