MONROVIA, Nov. 11 (Xinhuanet) -- Harvard-trained Iron Lady Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has won Liberia's post-war presidential runoff, the west African country's electoral commission announced on Friday.

Harvard-educated banker Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, pictured 08 November 2005, has won Liberia's post-war presidential runoff, the west African country's electoral commission announced on Friday. (AFP photo)

    The victory, if finally certified, will make Johnson-Sirleaf Africa's first ever elected female president. Official announcement is expected by November 23.

    The 66-year-old grandmother and former finance minister had 59.4 percent of the votes while the 39-year-old former FIFA player ofthe year George Weah had 40.6 percent, the National Elections Commission said.

    Voter turnout was 59.3 percent from 2,978 of the 3,070 polling stations across the war-torn west African country, according to the commission.

    Although international observers are unanimous in their observation that the election was free, fair and transparent, Weah has claimed that the polls were marred by fraud and has now taken up the case with the Supreme Court, seeking a rite of prohibition on the electoral commission.

    But the electoral commission's chief, Frances Johnson-Morris, said "I have not received any order from the Supreme court, (but) we will abide by what the Supreme court says."

    Weah had alleged that more than 35 pre-marked ballot papers intended to be stuffed in ballot boxes in favor of his challenger Johnson-Sirleaf, were intercepted by his supporter and has presented photo copy of same to the electoral commission as evidence to prove his claims.

    The football star pulled the highest votes in the first round with 28.3 percent from among the pack of 22 presidential candidates, while his closest opponent Johnson-Sirleaf got 19.8 percent in the first round on October 11.

    Thousands of Weah's supporters took to the streets on Friday afternoon in what they described as a "peaceful demonstration to show to the international community that there was fraud in the presidential runoff election."

    "We want election not selection," shouted Anderson Jolo, one ofthe demonstrators, most of them young men and women. Weah, rising from the slums by dropping out of high school to take up a football career and become a millionaire, is seen by his supporters as a symbol of change who is capable of changing Liberia.

    "The party is not aware of the demonstration," Sam Quiah, spokesman for Weah told Xinhua. "Ambassador Weah has urged our supporters to remain calm."

    Liberia, founded in 1847 by freed American slaves, experienced a bloody civil war from 1989 to 2003 in which an estimated 250,000people, about eight percent of its population, died and about one million made refugees.

    The issues Johnson-Sirleaf will have to contend with are reconciliation among Liberians and reconstruction of basic social services such as schools, health care facilities, roads, safe drinking water, electricity as well as reintegrating thousands of ex-combatants and the creation of job opportunities.

    Illiteracy rate in the west African state, blessed with diamond,gold, timber, iron ore and rubber as well as fertile soil, stands at about 85 percent and unemployment is put at 80 percent. The country also owes an external debt around 3 billion US dollars. Enditem