Liberians are voting today to decide who should lead the country for the next five-six years after these elections, the last held in 2005, with watchers already describing it as a close race. Incumbent President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf (72) is pitted against a team which is headed by long-time diplomat Winston Tubman (70), (remember the Tubman name?) and has former international football star George Opong Weah who had challenged Mrs Johnson-Sirleaf in the past and lost. On the final day of campaigning reports say large crowds were seen at a rally of the opposition with supporters of George Weah and Winston Tubman - a sign that it was going to be a tight race. President Johnson-Sirleaf has not been sitting idle in Monrovia. She has been criss-crossing the country exhorting voters to let her in once more so she can finish what she sees as a job to be further advanced after years of war and suffering that left the country in ruins, hundreds of thousands, if not a million or more dead and far greater numbers traumatised and displaced. Her main opponent Winston Tubman appeared to have scored a negative point when after he heard that President Johnson-Sirleaf had won the Nobel Peace Prize told the BBC that the President did not deserve the award, calling her a war-monger. Mr Tubman - a Harvard graduate, like Mrs Sirleaf - has been dismissive of the Nobel Committee's decision, arguing that the prize will not influence voters. Observers say he should have been gracious enough to first of all congratulate her as a compatriot and then go on to express his doubts. While observers say the incumbent had used her international connections to attract international financial and aid agencies to smile favourably on the country, diplomat Winston Tubman is believed to have his own clout that could also be used to play into the hands of the international community.

The challenges ahead would be enormous for whoever comes out as winner in a contest that is expected to go into a re-run. Corruption is top of the list of problems in a country where those in authority are hardly challenged on such issues - at least in public. The BBC's Jonathan Paylaylay adds -

Liberia's main energy plant has not yet been rebuilt - and most people in Monrovia still do not have electricity or running water. In fact, there is no running water even at the main offices of Liberia's water company. Unemployment is also extremely high - some say that 80% of the workforce is unemployed and the youth are most affected. Mr Tubman, 70, came fourth in the 2005 election, but the Congress for Democratic Change candidate is seen as Mrs Sirleaf's main challenger this time round.Mr Weah, who lost a run-off to Mrs Sirleaf in 2005, has boosted his popularity, especially among Liberia's youth, analysts say. "Mrs Sirleaf has had almost six years now to demonstrate what she can do inside Liberia for the Liberian people," Mr Tubman says. "I often wonder whether it is the popularity of our ticket or the unpopularity of the incumbent that draws the crowd to us."

The die is cast and Liberians and the international community await.

According to the Foundation, the Mo Ibrahim Prize is awarded to a democratically elected former African Executive Head of State or Government who has served their term in office within the limits set by the country's constitution, has left office in the last three years, and has demonstrated excellence in office. The Ibrahim Prize consists of US$5million over 10 years and US$200,000 annually for life thereafter. It is the largest annually awarded prize in the world.

"The importance of high quality leadership in sub-Saharan African cannot be overstated. There are many challenges and often few resources of state to address them. It is why the efforts of those leaders who rise above these constraints to develop their countries, lift people out of poverty, and pave the way for future prosperity and success should be recognised and celebrated. The Ibrahim Prize will also help to ensure that Africa doesn't lose the experience and expertise of its best leaders when they leave office, by enabling them to continue in other public roles." adds the Foundation on its web pages.

This year's winner says he was in the gym when he heard he had won and told the BBC he would want to invest the money in writing a book that would give an account of his country's struggle for independence. "I have no thought of using the money to invest in business or anything like that.", he told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme adding that he had never been thinking of business investments. Mr Pires played a key role in the fight against Portuguese colonial rule and became Prime Minister at independence in 1975 - a position he held until 1991. He led moves to introduce multi-party elections, which his PAIVC party lost. Asked what advice he would like to give African leaders, he replied - " I don't like to give lessons. I think each leader has his own challenges. We have to believe in African people and allow them to decide their own fate". Mr Pires was cited by the Awards Committee head former OAU, now AU Secretary-General Dr Salim Ahmed Salim for his humility and personal integrity in refusing calls to change the constitution that would have allowed Mr Pires to continue in power.

However we pray that this week he will continue to study and obey the Commandments as they are written in the Good Book, the Holy Bible - more so the Ninth Commandment which makes it a sin to tell lies, to fabricate lies, to be a purveyor of lies as this is frowned upon by the Good Lord whose 9th Commandment states - Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. (Exodus 20:16). We again remind him that "neighbour" is not just the people next door. The situation, in his case, is made even more frightening if someone who professes to be a man of the cloth, an elder in God's house takes upon himself to become a compulsive liar and not only that but getting to a stage where he actually believes in his own lies despite evidence to the contrary hitting him in the face. But that is the hallmark of the compulsive liar!!! Again we would want to remind the high priest at the altar dedicated to the worship of ernest bai koroma what a former ally wrote about him after using manufactured and falsified remarks made on his own "forum" as "news" items in his online outlet which he would like to pass off as "news portal". Again we remind him of his own admission

"I have been a forumite for a very, very long time. I have been a forumite at LEONENET, SLIS, AFRICAONLINE , NUP , TAMU etc. When I tell you anything about forums, you must believe."

This man of the cloth, would like an obese sow in heat, roam internet "forums" using different names/handles/monikers etc to create the atmosphere for the sexually expletive literature that is the wonder drug for his abnormal desires. Indeed this ally, in desperation and frustration at the supposed man of the cloth who had tried to lure her into conversation of a sexually-expletive nature and posing as Mariama Massaquoi exploded when she discovered just how far this "satanic pastor" can go in his devilish designs. She wrote: