Soaring food prices are the key to unseating President Weah in Liberia‍

It is expected that President George Weah, who will run for reelection later this year, will face dissatisfaction over soaring food prices and shortages of basic necessities. Weah is losing support as he prepares to run for another term in the coming months.

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There has been a cost-of-living crisis in the West African nation accompanied by thousands of protesting citizens, as the rising price of basic staples has caused the number of people under the poverty line to rise as a result of the rising cost of basic staples. This is why Weah is seeking a second six-year term as President.

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There was an increase in unrest in Liberia ahead of the June presidential elections in Sierra Leone, where a spike in food prices has sparked unrest following the recent rise in food prices. Concern Worldwide's recent Global Hunger Index ranked Liberia as serious in its hunger situation; it placed it 113th out of 121 countries. 

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A Washington-based think tank called Center for Global Development, which specializes in policy development and analysis of global issues, recently interviewed Gyude Moore, senior fellow at the center for global development in Washington, about the possibility of an opposition figure "turning the tide" against Weah, 56, if the October election goes to a second round. 

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It is widely accepted that veteran lawmaker and former Vice President Joseph Boakai will be the strongest threat to the former AC Milan star. After the Supreme Court dismissed Boakai's allegations of fraud in 2017 when he challenged Weah, he boycotted the second round of voting. The other candidates include Alexander Cummings, who was once a Coca-Cola executive and a Chevron Corporation executive in the late 1980s, and Clarence Moniba, who is the son of Harry Moniba, who served as Vice President during the late 1980s. 

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There is a strong criticism that Weah and his Congress for Democratic Change party were indulging in austerity measures to get a bailout from the International Monetary Fund, thus exacerbating the price of food as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Although weah's administration introduced $11 million in subsidies for rice in 2022 in an effort to stabilize the price of the commodity, these measures didn't prevent hikes and shortages because shipments were delayed and some funds did not reach importers.

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Vote of the youth 

About two thirds of Liberia's five million people are under 25 years of age, which means that there is a large youth vote that wants a young, visionary leader in the country. Moniba, 44, is among the newcomers in the race.