George Weah vows to change Liberia's citizenship laws

Liberia's president george weah has referred to as for the elimination of a "racist" clause in the constitution which restricts citizenship to black human beings.

The clause turned into "pointless, racist and inappropriate", the ex-football big name stated in his first kingdom of the nation deal with considering the fact that being elected president.

He also pledged to scrap the regulation that prohibits foreigners proudly owning land.

Liberia became founded via freed us slaves in 1847 as "a refuge and a haven for freed men of color".

Its constitution defines black human beings inside the language of the time, as "humans who are negroes or of negro descent".

Other groups, like the expected four,000 lebanese human beings who have lived in liberia for generations, are barred from citizenship and, by using extension, land ownership.

Africa stay: extra in this and other memories
George weah: from footballer to president
Liberia's twenty years in a hundred seconds
The restrictions introduced at the time were now not important, mr weah stated, adding that he additionally wanted a ban on twin citizenship to be abolished.

"it contradicts the very definition of liberia, that is derived from the latin phrase 'liber', which means 'liberty'," he said.

Some see the proposed trade as long late, says the bbc's jonathan paye-layleh inside the capital monrovia.

But others, he provides, do not see it as a concern and need to look vital intervention on bringing the fee of living down.Mr weah, the 1995 fifa world player of the yr, is the first former sports activities megastar to be elected president.

He received elections in december by way of a landslide, defeating then vice-president joseph boakai.

The previous ac milan and chelsea participant succeeded ellen johnson sirleaf, africa's first elected woman president who stepped down after  terms.

In his address in parliament on monday, mr weah also announced that he could be taking a pay cut of 25% due to the fact the authorities and the financial system had been "broke".

"our foreign money is in unfastened fall; inflation is growing, unemployment is at an unheard of excessive and our foreign reserves are at an rock bottom," he said.

He requested mps to "follow my lead" and agree to a pay reduce.

"allow us to all take into account that we have been elected to serve the liberian people and not to be masters of them," mr weah stated in an deal with that was interrupted by way of wild applause.

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The poorest will love weah even more
Evaluation by tamasin ford, bbc africa

He has been in energy just over every week and already george weah is making the headlines.

Overturning constitutional rules to scale down his revenue and advantages via a quarter is some thing his supporters, who are in large part the poorest of the bad, will love him even more for.

He has also pledged to trade liberia's land ownership guidelines, presently limited to citizens best - claiming no foreign investor can work in a country in which they can not purchase land.

He has positioned schooling on the pinnacle of his time table, saying his authorities will pay all university examination costs for every pupil, though it's miles doubtful how he will fund the plan after describing the government as "broke".

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Individuals of the residence of representatives and senate earn up to $15,000 (£10,six hundred) a month, at the side of other benefits.

The enormous majority of the populace of approximately 4.6 million stay under the poverty line.

Liberia is still improving from a civil warfare which officially led to 2005.

It changed into also badly affected by the ebola epidemic, which hit the area in 2014 and 2015.

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Seven things approximately george weah:
Born 1 october, 1966, grew up in a slum in liberia's capital
Signed by means of arsene wenger to monaco from cameroonian club tonnerre yaoundé
Made monaco debut in 1987, went on to play for ac milan, paris saint-germain and chelsea
Handiest african to win fifa world participant of the year
First ran for president in 2005, dropping to ellen johnson sirleaf
Graduated with a commercial enterprise degree from a us university after being accused of missing schooling