Liberia
The Republic of Liberia is a West African state that exhibits mid-range performances across all four Global State of Democracy categories. It is among the top 25 per cent of countries for Freedom of Expression and Electoral Participation, and the bottom 25 per cent for Basic Welfare and Absence of Corruption. Over the last five years, there have been no notable changes in performance levels. The 2017 election was the first peaceful transfer of power since 1944.
Unlike many African states, Liberia was not colonized, but was established in 1821 as a state for freed slaves coming from the Caribbean and the United States. It declared independence from the American Colonization Society in 1847. This manner of state formation has had political consequences, as the Americo-Liberian/Congo settler community has been politically dominant and marginalized the indigenous population. Poverty is endemic; almost half the population is moderately or severely food insecure, and the economic devastation caused by Ebola and COVID-19 pandemics entrenched Liberia’s status as one of the poorest countries globally. This is made worse by high-level graft and weak service provision. Infrastructural deficiencies have hampered Liberia’s ability to exploit its vast wealth of natural resources, and “blood” diamonds have fueled conflicts and invited foreign sanctions.
Liberia experienced two devastating civil wars between 1989 and 2003, driven largely by economic deprivation and a power struggle between various armed factions. Approximately 250 000 people were killed during the conflicts, and there were gross human rights violations, such as rape, sexual slavery, and the recruitment of child soldiers. Former rebel leader Charles Taylor served as president between 1997 and 2003. He was ultimately convicted for war crimes in Liberia and neighboring Sierra Leone.
The post-war government, under Africa’s first female head of state – Ellen Johnson Sirleaf – authorized the Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission (LTRC), which found that the underlying causes of conflict included poverty and corruption. Tension between Americo-Liberian and indigenous groups remains a fault line in the country, and the 2017 victory by President George Weah was celebrated by some citizens as a win for indigenous Liberians. However, recent elections have also shown that Liberian politics may be in a period of realignment, where parties and ethnicity have declining salience. In addition, women’s parliamentary representation remains low, and women continue to face high rates of domestic violence and poor access to modern family planning methods.
Liberia’s future prospects for democratic stability and civil liberties are strong, given how entrenched electoral competition has been since the civil wars ended. In addition, progress in its public administration has been celebrated as a positive step toward better governance. It will be important to watch the government’s moves to grow the economy, reduce corruption, improve public services, and promote independent civil society and media. Major obstacles to democratic consolidation overlap considerably with the root cause of its wars: economic deprivation. As a result, the Basic Welfare factor and Rule of Law category should be watched moving forward.
Monthly Event Reports
November 2023 | Joseph Boakai wins in second round of the presidential election
In the first round of the presidential election in October, leading candidates Joseph Boakai of the Unity Party (UP) and incumbent President George Weah of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) were separated by less than one per cent of the vote. Voters were asked to choose between these top two candidates in a second round on 14 November. The official results from the National Elections Commission gave Boakai 50.6 per cent, while Weah received 49.4 per cent. Turnout was 66.1 per cent of registered voters, down from 78.8 per cent in the general election (including the first round of the presidential election) in October. Weah was quick to concede to Boakai and made a public statement urging his supporters to accept the result of the election. His support for the electoral process was widely celebrated in the region. Observers from the European Union stated that the second round was well conducted, and some of the procedural problems in the first round had been corrected.
October 2023 | General election returns victory for incumbent party in House of Representatives – Presidential race goes to second round
General elections were held in Liberia on 11 October. Voters chose all the members of the House of Representatives, half the members of the Senate, and also voted in the first round of the presidential election. Turnout was 79 per cent of registered voters, up from 72 per cent in 2017. Incumbent President George Weah of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) was slightly ahead in the first round with 43.8 per cent support, closely followed by Joseph Boakai of the Unity Party (UP) who received 43.4 per cent of the votes. Liberians will choose between these two leading candidates in the second round in November. The CDC increased its seat share in the House of Representatives, gaining four seats for a total of 25 (out of the 73 seats), while the UP lost 10 seats, for a new count of 10. No party has a majority in the House, and 18 independent candidates were elected. While there were 153 female candidates, only 9 were elected (a gain of one). Election observers noted logistical and technical problems in the process preparing for the election, but positively assessed the election day processes in the vast majority of polling places. However, nine temporary staff members of the National Elections Commission were arrested for electoral fraud.
March 2023 | President Weah vetoes portions of act to amend electoral law
As part of the preparations for the October 2023 general elections in Liberia, the legislature passed an act to amend portions of the electoral law in October 2022. On 16 March 2023, President George Weah approved the act, but used his line-item veto power to strike down several sections of the act, citing their non-conformity with other laws or duplication of existing law. The sections vetoed by the President include paragraphs that would have created a new independent body to hear complaints about the conduct of elections. The act had been alternatively criticized and praised for its various provisions. A revision that gives the gender quota (requiring that 30 per cent of the candidates in each party list are women) an enforcement mechanism via delisting parties that do not comply was approved by the President. The amended law will also allow diasporan Liberians to vote if they have valid Liberian identification (including passports). However, opposition parties have noted with concern that the new law significantly raises the filing fees for would-be candidates for office.
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