| Liberia is Africa’s oldest independent republic. It is a country rich in rubber, diamonds, and timber, but it has the lowest GDP per capita and life expectancy in Sub-Saharan Africa. After decades of severe conflict, Liberians are hopeful that democratic parliamentary and presidential elections in 2005 will restore peace and raise the country out of poverty. |
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Summary & Updates
The first free and open parliamentary and presidential elections in Liberian history were held on October 11, 2005. After a vigorous voter education and registration campaign that lasted the better part of the year, more than 1.3 million citizens registered to vote. There were more than 3,000 polling places throughout the country to accommodate voters. Voters had a choice of 22 presidential candidates and 718 candidates for the Senate and the House of Representatives.
On election day, 75% of registered voters turned out to cast their ballots. Candidate George Weah, a former soccer star, received 28.3% of the vote, while Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who was the Liberian finance minister in the late 1970s, received 19.8% of the vote. According to Liberian election law, a candidate must receive more than 50% of the popular vote to become president. Since this condition was not met, a run-off election between the top two candidates was held on November 8, 2005. With 61% of registered voters turning out, Johnson-Sirleaf won the election with 59.4% of the vote; Weah received 40.6% of the vote. Weah claimed the run-off election was fraudulent, but international elections observers have said the election was fair.
Johnson-Sirleaf is the first woman to be elected as an African head of state. She faces the difficult challenges of rebuilding the country after decades of civil war and trying to peacefully reconcile the different factions. She must also reintegrate 43,000 ex-fighters into society, battle corruption, and try to raise the economic well-being of her people. And she has to do all this while exiled former president Charles Taylor looks on from Nigeria. Taylor is sought by Sierra Leone’s UN-backed war crimes court (he stands to face 17 counts of crimes against humanity for his alleged role in Sierra Leone’s civil war), but Nigeria will not extradite him unless asked by the Liberian president; this is another challenge Johnson-Sirleaf must face.
1/17/2006
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was sworn in as Liberia’s president on January 16, 2006. She is now officially the first female African head of state. George Weah, the former soccer star who lost to Johnson-Sirleaf, conceded the election in December and attended the presidential inauguration. Also in attendance were First Lady Laura Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, as well as several African heads of state, including Nigeria’s leader Olusegun Obasanjo and South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki
Timeline
- 1820 - Liberia was formed by former slaves from America and Caribbean. The former slaves and their descendants ruled the country for more than 150 years.
- 1847 – Liberia gains its independence.
- 1980 - A group of indigenous army officers led by Samuel Doe staged a coup and seized power of the country.
- 1989 - Civil war broke out.
- 1990 - Doe was overthrown and executed.
- 1996 - The civil war ended with the election of Charles Taylor as president.
- 1999 - Civil war broke out again.
- 2003 - Taylor was forced to step down and was exiled to Nigeria. An interim government was appointed until elections could be held.
- 2005 – Free and open elections were held for the first time in the nation’s history.
Election Timeline: 2005-2006
- October 5 - 16 international organizations and 45 domestic organizations were accredited to observe the elections.
- October 11 - Election Day. No presidential candidate earned more than 50% of the vote. According to legislation, a run-off election between the top two candidates must be held.
- November 8 – The run-off election for presidency was held.
- November 23 - Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was declared the winner of the presidential elections, making her the first woman to be elected as an African head of state.
- January 2006 - Expected swearing in of the new government.
Web Sites of Interest(CCD does not necessarily endorse any of the following web pages and provides these links simply to offer a diverse viewpoint)
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