Less Than 24 Hours After Suffering Heat Stroke During Inauguration, Liberia’s President Boakai Declared ‘Perfectly Fit’

Liberia’s newly inaugurated President, Joseph Boakai, has been declared ‘perfectly fit’ by his office following concerns raised during his swearing-in ceremony.

The 79-year-old leader experienced difficulty completing his inauguration speech and had to be assisted away from the podium due to apparent heat exhaustion.

His office attributed the incident to the high temperature, exceeding 30C in the humid conditions.

Despite the interruption, President Boakai has reportedly resumed his regular activities, alleviating concerns about his well-being.

Last year, health became a focal point in the election campaign, where he narrowly defeated former football star George Weah in a run-off election.

“His doctors have declared him perfectly fine,” Charles Snetter from the president’s office said in a statement.

A representative from Mr. Boakai’s party informed the AFP agency that the president was not transported to a hospital.

“The president is normal, and he’s doing well,” Amos Tweh said.

READ ALSO: 79-Year-Old Liberia’s New President Fails to End Inauguration Speech

Prior to having to abruptly conclude his speech, the newly elected president committed to alleviating the challenging economic conditions, tackling corruption, and enhancing essential services for all Liberians.

Mr. Boakai, who served as vice-president in Nobel Peace Prize-winner Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s government until 2018, ran for the presidency representing the United Party (UP). In the run-off vote, he secured victory over Mr. Weah by a margin of just over 20,000 votes.

This marked Mr. Boakai’s second attempt at the presidency, having previously contested in 2017 and lost to Mr. Weah, who subsequently became Liberia’s youngest-ever elected president.

(BBC)