Liberia’s New President Collapses, Promptly Taken Off Podium at Inauguration

Liberia’s new President, Joseph Boakai, rushed off podium after suffering a ‘heat-induced faintness’ during his inauguration ceremony

Liberia’s new president, Joseph Boakai, suffered a ‘heat-induced faintness’ that forced him to cut short his inauguration speech on Monday, January 22, 2024.

The 79-year-old was given his acceptance speech when he suddenly stopped and was later led off the podium during the sworn in ceremony in the nation’s capital, Monrovia.

The president’s office in a statement said Boakai had suffered exhaustion but that doctors had since declared him “perfectly fine.