Can Liberia’s leading lady fight off election challenge?

But today Tubman Boulevard – named after Liberia’s longest-serving President William Tubman, an uncle of Winston Tubman – is tarred and shiny new buildings are springing up – including residential flats, banks, the offices of airline companies and six of Monrovia’s leading supermarkets – four of which are newly established.

The development is a clear sign of the Liberian nation’s resolve to put the conflict – which saw rebel forces invade Monrovia in 2003, forcing then-President Charles Taylor to step down – behind them, opening the way for investors – many of whom are Lebanese – to pump money into the city.

The governing Unity Party’s (UP) secretary-general, Wilmot Paye, can’t stop naming the government’s achievements for which, in his opinion, “the Liberian people will make the right decision to vote us back into office.”

“We are running on our record, not on promises,” Mr Paye told the BBC.

“In Monrovia, some years back, just before the [2005] election, the streets were dilapidated. Our roads across the country were terrible. We are not 100% successful yet, but we are more than 75% successful.”

Mr Paye says the government has also overseen a period of economic growth, making it possible to invest in education and health across the country.

“The productive sectors are picking up. Schools are totally rehabilitated and more schools are being built – 200 schools built over a period of over 200 weeks; it is a great achievement.

“More than 381 health facilities and services are being provided in this country, some of them free or affordable.”

Mr Paye says Mrs Sirleaf’s decision to run again even though she had pledged to serve for a single term is not a democratic breach.

“The president is a democrat and Liberia is a democratic society, and the fact that she is running again is because the generality of the Liberian people still believe in her leadership.”