-Vice President Vows to Lead President Boakai’s Re-election Campaign, Saying Liberia’s Infrastructure Transformation Cannot Be Completed in a Single Six-year Term
YARMIN MEHNSONNOH DISTRICT, NIMBA, Liberia – Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung has publicly declared for the first time that President Joseph Nyuma Boakai will seek re-election in the 2029 General and Presidential Elections, effectively ending months of speculation over the Liberian leader’s political future and signaling that the ruling Unity Party is preparing for another presidential campaign.
The announcement, made Wednesday during a political gathering in Yarwin Mehnsonnoh District, Nimba County, represents the first explicit public confirmation by a senior member of the Boakai administration that the President intends to seek a second six-year term. President Boakai himself has yet to make such an announcement publicly.
Addressing supporters, Koung left little room for doubt about the administration’s plans.
“I can say to you it is a check that the President will be on the ballot in 2029,” the Vice President declared.
He went a step further by announcing that he would personally spearhead the President’s re-election effort.
“And I will be leading the campaign so that the President can finish some of the big work he’s going to start,” Koung told the gathering.
In one of the most symbolic moments of his address, Koung likened himself to the biblical John the Baptist, suggesting that his role was to prepare the way for President Boakai’s arrival and eventual re-election campaign.
“I just came to clear the way. I am the John the Baptist; Christ is coming. President Boakai will come. And President Boakai will enter this town and sleep here in Yarwin Mehnsonnoh,” Koung declared, drawing cheers from supporters.
The biblical comparison underscored the Vice President’s effort to portray himself as a political forerunner preparing the ground for President Boakai’s anticipated visit to Nimba County and what now appears to be the informal launch of the President’s expected 2029 re-election campaign.
The remarks are likely to reshape Liberia’s political landscape, coming nearly three years before the next presidential election and at a time when the Boakai administration is approaching the midpoint of its six-year constitutional mandate.
First Official Confirmation of a 2029 Bid
Although members of the Unity Party have consistently defended President Boakai’s performance and expressed confidence in his leadership, Wednesday’s declaration marks the clearest indication yet that the party intends to retain the presidency beyond 2029.
Since taking office in January 2024, President Boakai has largely avoided discussing his political future, instead urging Liberians to judge his administration by its performance under the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID).
His government has consistently maintained that its focus is on delivering development rather than engaging in early campaign politics.
Koung’s remarks therefore represent a significant political moment, effectively placing the 2029 presidential race into the national conversation.
“The President Needs More Time”
Explaining why another term is necessary, Koung argued that many of the administration’s flagship infrastructure projects cannot realistically be completed within a single six-year mandate.
He pointed to ongoing efforts to expand hydroelectric power generation, connect southeastern Liberia through paved highways, extend modern road infrastructure into Lofa County, and complete other national development initiatives.
“The President needs more time to finish his work,” Koung said.
He specifically referenced plans to connect southeastern Liberia with the rest of the country through improved road networks while continuing the expansion of highways linking Bong, Lofa, and other parts of the country.
The Vice President’s remarks come just days after the Government signed a US$30 million financing agreement with the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) to finance the Salayea–Konia Road, another key component of the administration’s nationwide infrastructure program.
Other major projects currently underway include the Gbarnga–Salayea corridor, the southeastern road network, electricity expansion initiatives, and plans to increase national power generation capacity.
Nimba Remains Central to Political Strategy
Koung made the declaration in Nimba County, Liberia’s second most populous county and one of the country’s most influential electoral battlegrounds.
His appearance also carried added political significance following the death of former Nimba political godfather Prince Yormie Johnson, whose influence shaped voting patterns in the county for nearly two decades.
Responding to suggestions that Johnson’s passing has fragmented the county politically, Koung expressed confidence that Nimba would once again rally behind President Boakai.
“There are people who are saying Prince Johnson isn’t there again, the people are scattered; they are divided. Nimba is now an open place,” he said before adding that he believes Nimba will continue supporting the current administration.
Political analysts view Nimba as a county that could once again determine the outcome of Liberia’s next presidential election.
Koung’s declaration that President Boakai would personally visit Yarwin Mehnsonnoh and spend the night there also appeared aimed at energizing supporters in one of the county’s key political districts ahead of future political engagements.
Echoes of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
Koung’s announcement inevitably draws comparisons with former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who also faced questions during her first term about whether she would seek re-election.
When Sirleaf campaigned for the presidency in 2005, many Liberians understood her to be contemplating serving a single term focused on rebuilding the country after years of civil conflict.
However, as her first term progressed, she concluded that additional time was needed to consolidate reforms.
In her 2010 Annual Message to the Legislature, Sirleaf famously declared that she intended to be “a formidable force” in the 2011 presidential elections—a statement that formally launched her successful campaign for a second term.
Political observers say Koung’s declaration may represent a similar turning point for President Boakai’s administration, with continuity increasingly being presented as necessary to complete ongoing national development projects.
From One-Term Expectations to Second-Term Politics
Before winning the presidency in 2023, President Boakai was widely perceived by many Liberians as likely to serve only one term, largely because of his age and his repeated emphasis on restoring governance and laying the foundation for long-term national development.
Although the President never made a formal constitutional commitment to limit himself to one term, that perception became a recurring theme in political discussions before and after the election.
Liberia’s Constitution, however, permits a president to serve two six-year terms, making Boakai fully eligible to seek re-election if he chooses.
Koung’s remarks now appear to have settled the question politically, even if the President has yet to make an official declaration himself.
Political Implications
The Vice President’s comments are expected to reverberate throughout Liberia’s political establishment.
Opposition parties are likely to interpret the remarks as the informal launch of the Unity Party’s 2029 campaign, while supporters may view them as a necessary affirmation of continuity for major national development initiatives.
The declaration also comes against the backdrop of growing discussion about succession politics within government.
Only a day earlier, former Mines and Energy Minister Wilmot Paye alleged during a radio interview that political maneuvering surrounding the 2029 elections had already begun within the Boakai administration, claiming that internal rivalries influenced decisions during his tenure.
Whether President Boakai will personally endorse Koung’s statement in the coming weeks remains to be seen.
For now, however, the Vice President has delivered what many political observers regard as the strongest indication yet that Liberia’s next presidential contest has quietly begun—and that President Boakai intends to seek the opportunity to complete what his administration describes as an unfinished national transformation agenda.For breaking news, in-depth analysis, and exclusive reports from Liberia and around the world, follow The Liberian Post on Facebook (https://web.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576017166570) and X, formerly Twitter (https://x.com/LiberianPost).
