Joseph Boakai was on Monday, January 22 sworn in as Liberia’s president, taking over from football star George Weah.
Boakai’s swearing in followed his election victory over the 1995 Ballon d’Or winner in November’s run-off poll. He got 50.64% of the voters against Weah’s 49.36%.
The 79-year-old pledged to tackle poverty and corruption in the small nation of 5 million people.
Inauguration speech ends abruptly
However, the ceremony set tongues wagging when Boakai had to pause and cut short his inauguration speech in front of the West African country’s parliament in Monrovia.
After the incident, Boakai’s age and health — once again — was the subject of discussion in across the country.
According to Amos Tweh, secretary general of Boakai’s party, the President suffered heat exhaustion.
Heat exhaustion
“Heat exhaustion contributed to the few minutes of disruption in his speech, but the speech ended successfully, and the president was advised by his doctors to come home as a result of that,” Tweh told AFP.
He added: “The president was not taken to the hospital. Everything went okay, the president is normal, and he’s doing well. The president has resumed his normal presidential duties.”
Boakai was sworn in during an outdoor ceremony in sweltering heat in the West African nation’s capital.
Despite all this hitches, Boakai had already taken the oath of office when he was helped away.
