Monrovia — "I always thought the nickname 'Iron lady' referred to her indomitable state of mind," said one of the journalists in the convoy that took Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and her caravan of campaigners to Grand Bassa County for two days of non-stop campaigning in the first presidential run-off race in Liberia's 150-year history.
"I had no idea that it also referred to her physical toughness. She never stops to eat or drink," the journalist said. "We have walked tens of miles and driven hundreds more on the worst roads anyone can imagine, but at every stop, she sounds like someone just returning from a vacation."
On Wednesday, just four days before the politicking came to an end, Sirleaf tackled head-on the district where she won only six percent of the votes in the first round. Grand Bassa County, Liberia's fifth largest, was won overwhelmingly by Charles Brumskine, who came in third, followed by George Weah, the former international soccer star who is Sirleaf's opponent in the November 8th run-off. Brumskine has remained neutral for the run-off, although his support organization, Friends of Brumskine in the USA, endorsed Sirleaf in a press release issued on Friday.
Weah, 39, a political novice, won 28.9 percent of the votes in the first round, compared to 19.8 percent for Sirleaf, 66, who is a long-time Liberian political figure, former finance minister, senior United Nations official and banker. If elected, she would become Africa's first elected woman president.
Sirleaf's convoy departed from Monrovia early in the morning and was expected to arrive around noon in Buchanan, just 90 miles east of Monrovia. But the trip took all day. At every corner, in every village, the ten-car procession made stops. In every large town, there was a receiving crowd, in town halls or in a schoolyard, always decorated with pictures of the Unity Party standard bearer.
The ceremonies in most places were similar. The convoy arrived, dignitaries in the town met Sirleaf. After formal greetings always beginning with a prayer, Sirleaf spoke of her vision of Liberia and the possibilities ahead. The speech was always upbeat and she never seemed to stop to catch her breath. She emphasized experience and the importance of education for children to raise them out of poverty.
More than once, the convoy also stopped on the road to allow Sirleaf to exchange a few words with villagers standing by the roadside. Among the most popular chants were "Ellen All The Way," and "Who know book, Ellen knows book". One group of students, standing in front of a dilapidated school building, had their own refrain: "We want to go to school!" Children and adults wore T-shirts with the effigy of Sirleaf. They waved palm branches as the convoy slowed down for Sirleaf to greet them.
Finally, after more than 20 stops, many unscheduled, the convoy entered Buchanan, Liberia's second largest city, around 6:30 PM. A few people in the convoy thought that the streets would be empty, but it was just the opposite.
At the entrance to the port city, Sirleaf stood in the car and the first group of people followed her convoy, singing the same slogans. Down the road, on the central avenue leading to the county headquarters of Unity Party, thousands more stood, waiting for the convoy. A massive human wave took form, with people running out of their homes to take a peek at Sirleaf, to wave and to dance. Thousands of the city's residents took to the street, running behind the convoy, and the crowd grew bigger as the motorcade moved through the city.
By the time Sirleaf and her entourage arrived at the party headquarters, the city was plunged into darkness. Like every town in Liberia, Buchanan has no electricity, and the headquarters of Unity Party was like an island of light in darkness. Thousands who followed the convoy filled the yard and spilled into the adjacent streets, turning the area into a human sea, chanting and dancing to the sound of the band Sundayga Dearboy, who composed the theme song of the 'Ellen for President' campaign. Sirleaf addressed the crowd, then went inside for a meeting with the party leaders in grand Bassa County.
The following day, the convoy was again on its way, zigzagging between rows of rubber trees, stopping in every village along the way. At times, the convoy stopped to greet just one or two people, standing in front of a hut, waving posters or stickers from the UP campaign. At the final stop, a place called 'Number Two Compound', a helicopter arrived as Sirleaf was addressing the crowd. After speaking about the need for education, security and vocational training for the youth, new markets and better roads, Sirleaf boarded the aircraft, which her campaign rented from a company in neighboring Sierra Leone.
The charter enabled Sirleaf to reach places in the last stages of the campaign that she could never have traveled without it. She toured the major cities in Nimba County in one afternoon and spent another day crisscrossing Bong County, northeast of the capital.
The helicopter provided an interesting counter-point to the campaigning by her young rival. For several weeks, Weah has been traveling the country in a Humvee, a highly mobile, four-wheel-drive vehicle widely used by the U.S. Army and other militaries around the world, which has attracted crowds of young onlookers wherever Weah goes. His convoy also regularly includes a luxury tour bus that often arrives at Weah campaign appearances with youthful supporters running alongside.
Weah's popularity as a football stand-out, as well as his lack of involvement in the country's recent conflict, propelled him into the lead. "Weah is someone who did not participate in the destruction of Liberia, so we believe he is able to unify this country," Frances Jormah, a middle-aged Weah supporter told Reuters. Weah has been endorsed by the candidates who placed fourth (Winston Tubman) and fifth (Varney Sherman) in the voting on October 11.
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During the final stages, Weah also campaigned in Nimba, Bong and Grand Bassa Counties. On Friday, his campaign staged a 'million man' march in Monrovia that drew far fewer people than the huge crowd that poured into the streets on October 9 for the first march, when Weah supporters brought the city to a standstill. A concert at Weah headquarters on Sunday attracted larger attendance.
As campaigning ended, Sirleaf led a 60-car convoy around Monrovia with bull horns and mega speakers, making stops in every neighborhood. After attending church, Sirleaf returned home to find an impromptu assembly of thousands of supporters in front of her house. She decided to make the citywide tour, joined by her supporters. Just as the Weah concert was closing, the Sirleaf procession reached the boulevard where the Weah compound is located. But the presence of the Liberian National Police and United Nations peacekeepers kept the two groups apart and avoided any unrest.
Tomorrow, Liberians make their choice.
