Liberia’s new president, Joseph Boakai, was rushed to a hospital on Monday during his inauguration speech due to a heat stroke. The 79-year-old former vice president had just taken the oath of office at an outdoor ceremony in Monrovia, the capital of the West African nation, when he started to stutter and sweat profusely.
He was helped off the podium by his aides and security personnel, and he was taken to a nearby medical facility for treatment.
Boakai’s spokesperson, Mohammed Ali, said the president was suffering from exhaustion caused by the high temperature and humidity at the venue.
He said Boakai was in stable condition and would resume his duties soon. He also dismissed the concerns raised by some of Boakai’s opponents about his age and health during the election campaign, saying he was fit and capable of leading the country.
Boakai defeated the incumbent George Weah, a former football star, in a runoff election in November 2023, after none of the 20 candidates in the first round secured a majority.
He campaigned on a platform of fighting corruption, improving the economy, and providing basic services to the people. He also promised to uphold the peace and stability that Liberia has enjoyed since the end of a 14-year civil war in 2003.
Boakai’s inauguration marked the first peaceful transfer of power in Liberia since 1944 and was attended by several regional and international dignitaries, including the presidents of Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Ivory Coast.
The ceremony was cut short after Boakai’s stuttered to a halt, but officials proceeded to a planned lunch and reception. Boakai’s whereabouts and condition were not immediately clear after he left the hospital.