MONROVIA, (Reuters) – Liberian President Ellen  Johnson-Sirleaf’s main rival fled his party headquarters in the  capital Monrovia yesterday when it was besieged by dozens of  supporters angry at his decision to recognise her government  after a disputed November election.

Winston Tubman, who had alleged vote-rigging in favour of  Johnson-Sirleaf, made his decision before the Nobel peace  laureate’s inauguration for a second term on Monday in front of  regional leaders and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

“The youths stormed the party’s headquarters … We had to  get him out of the compound,” said Acarous Gray,  secretary-general of Tubman’s CDC party.

An aide to Tubman said he was not injured but had relocated  to a local hotel and would return when calm had returned.

Tubman and his running mate, former soccer star George Weah,  boycotted the Nov. 8 run-off election, allowing Johnson-Sirleaf  to cruise home with 90.8 percent of the vote. Turnout was a mere  38 percent.

According to Gray, Tubman and Weah met Johnson-Sirleaf over  the weekend about calling off a planned Jan. 16 opposition  demonstration and finally recognised her government, something  CDC supporters said was a betrayal.

“This lady is not good … (Tubman’s) action has shown to us  that he sold the party to President Johnson-Sirleaf,” Sylvester  Perry, one of the CDC supporters, said.

Tensions have been running high in Liberia since  Johnson-Sirleaf’s re-election. Late payment by the government  for part-time jobs prompted thousands of youths to rampage  through Monrovia on Dec 23, smashing the windows of parked cars.

Fourteen years after a civil war that left it in ruins and  its people mired in poverty, Liberia is key to the fragile  security of a region that includes Sierra Leone, Guinea and  Ivory Coast.