Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia's Unity Party receives 59.4 percent the total valid votes cast Nov. 22, 2005. (Photo: Xinhua)

     MONROVIA, Nov. 23 (Xinhuanet) -- Harvard-trained Iron Lady Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf on Wednesday was officially declared the winner of Liberia¡¯s presidential run-off, giving her a six-year mandate to rebuild a country devastated by fighting for a quarter of a century.

    Frances Johnson-Morris, chairwoman of the National Elections Commission, made the announcement at an official ceremony in the Liberian capital Monrovia, despite a probe into charges from Johnson-Sir leaf¡¯s rival, former FIFA player of the year George Weah that the run-off was marred by fraud.

    "The official results ... are as follows: Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf with 59.4 percent of the vote and George Weah with 40.6 percent of the vote," Johnson-Morris said.

    The former finance minister Johnson-Sirleaf, 67, is hereby to become the first elected female president in Africa in January next year.

    "The run-off election, the first in the history of Liberia was widely hailed as peaceful and free," said Johnson-Morris. "The elections commission urges the defeated parties to accept the results of the elections."

    "Let us prove to the world that we are departing from the culture of violence and are on the path of democracy," she added.

    Following the announcement, Johnson-Sirleaf said, "I am pleased and happy and humbled...by the trust Liberians have place in me."

    The former AC Milan star striker Weah did not attend the official ceremony. He had on November 15, six hours after the announcement of the preliminary results, rejected it and said "there is no doubt that the run-off election was rigged."

    "The mere fact that we have in our possession more than thirty ballots, pre-marked for the Unity Party (Johnson-Sirleaf's party),forcibly taken from election officers at the polls on election day, and exhibited to all Liberians through both the print and electronic media are strong evidence that the run-off election was rigged.", said the 39-year-old defeated in a statement then.

    The electoral commission has for about a week been conducting "administrative hearings" into the fraud allegation.

    If Weah should feel not satisfied with the results of the hearings, he may choose to take up the case with the Supreme Court.

    Security was very tight at the official and final declaration ceremony of the run-off election results as UN peacekeeping troops and local security agents barricaded the Centennial Memorial Pavilion in Monrovia.

    The UN Mission in Liberia had warned that it would "deal robustly" with any attempts to disrupt the electoral process. And as expected, the ceremony passed off peacefully.

    United Nations special envoy Alan Doss congratulated Liberians on a "successful conclusion of the 2005 electoral process culminating in the presidential run-off election on November 8 2005."

    "I offer my congratulations to Mrs. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf on her accomplishment," Doss said. "She is the first woman in Africa to be elected as a head of state. So this is a historic moment not only for Liberia but for the continent."

    "I also extend my appreciation to Ambassador George Weah for his participation in the democratic process ... This was a highly commendable act and the people of Liberia owe him a debt of gratitude for his willingness to do so," said the UN special envoy.

    "We are confident that he will continue to play an active role in shaping the future of this country, especially for the many young people who look up to him", the envoy said.

    "On behalf of the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Kofi Annan, I would like to assure the people of Liberia that the United Nations stands firmly behind the government and people of Liberia as they prepared to tackle the challenging tasks of national reconstruction, reconciliation, and rebuilding the nation," Doss said.

    Founded in 1847 mainly by freed American slaves, Liberia has witnessed a series of political and social turmoil resulting in the 1980 military coup in which then-president William Tolbert was killed.

    The 14-year civil war that followed from 1989 to 2003 claimed the lives of about 250,000 people, about eight percent of its population, and turned about one million to refugees.

    Liberians are expecting that the elections will mark a departure from war to lasting peace and stability in a country rich in rubber, timber, iron ore, diamond and gold as well as fertile soil.

    And the issues the first African female head of state 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 stands at about 85 percent and unemployment is put at 80 percent. The country also owes an external debt of around 3 billion US dollars. Enditem