Monrovia, Liberia – The woman vying to become the first female president of an African country acknowledges that she feels “a sense of guilt” because of failures by Liberia’s previous governments in which she worked. But she says she has learned from her mistakes.
Former Finance Minister Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf faces former soccer star George Weah in Liberia’s presidential runoff election on Nov. 8. They are the survivors of first-round balloting Oct. 11 that eliminated 20 other candidates.
In an interview Tuesday with The Associated Press, Johnson- Sirleaf pledged to form an “inclusive government” that reflects the country’s diversity and has “the capability, the competence, the courage to manage our resources properly.”
Liberia, founded in 1847 by freed American slaves, was once among Africa’s richest countries, with vast fields of gems and valuable groves of hardwood trees and rubber plants. The nation of 3 million people has known little but strife since a first coup in 1980.
Johnson-Sirleaf, 66, said she felt responsible that past governments in which she worked did not successfully address development needs or manage those resources.
