Liberia's top two face off

Among the tens of thousands of supporters at a rally for Harvard-educated presidential candidate Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, young men with megaphones fired up the crowd with a chant aimed at supporters of her top competitor, former soccer star George Weah.

"Do you see anyone with their trousers hanging below their butts?" they screamed, building off a stereotype of Mr. Weah's supporters as uneducated - even thuggish - youths. "No!" shouted the crowd.

Two days later, Weah rallied a massive crowd of more than 100,000 supporters packed cheek by jowl in the sweltering heat by emphasizing virtue over academic credentials. "An honest man is the only true noble man. Education does not mean accumulated and specialized training."

Mrs. Johnson-Sirleaf, a former World Bank loan officer who also worked for the UN for years, and Weah, who grew up poor but became a world-famous soccer legend after playing for some of Europe's top teams, represent a deep divide between the highly educated and the uneducated in Africa's first independent republic. And Tuesday's Ivy League vs. Premier League matchup will reveal whether Weah's populist appeal can trump Johnson-Sirleaf's governmental experience and credentials.

Twenty other candidates are vying for the top spot, but either George or Ellen - as many call them here - will likely be elected president of this small, war-weary West African nation after all the ballots being cast in Tuesday's landmark elections are counted. The winner will face the daunting task of resurrecting a failed state - but one rich in resources - and regaining the trust of the international community after years of conflict and governmental corruption. Liberians hope the first presidential and legislative elections since the 14-year civil war ended two years ago will help bring peace and democracy, and with hundreds of former fighters still unemployed, the stability of the conflict-prone region could be at stake.

Locked in a dead heat throughout the past few weeks of campaigning, the two front-runners are opposites in almost every way. She worked as the country's minister of finance in the 1970s and more recently as vice president of Citicorp. Weah counts his nine years as UNICEF goodwill ambassador as his only political experience. He speaks Liberian English, in an honest and sometimes explosive manner. She is eloquent, with polished diction and a calm, measured delivery.

The most glaring difference between the two is formal education. Johnson- Sirleaf graduated from Harvard with a master's degree in public administration; Weah dropped out of high school after his junior year.

Weah's lack of college education stands out in a presidential race stacked with US-educated candidates. But he is tired of hearing about it.

Freshly showered and back from a game of soccer with a local team in a village near his house, he says soccer teaches tolerance, respect and "how to stabilize people" - all things necessary for a president. He becomes agitated when asked about his top competitor's educational credentials.

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