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Liberia’s 2023 elections a major turning point
By Polls Africa
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Liberians go to polls on 10the October 2023 to elect the President, House of Representatives and half the Senate. The president is elected to a six-year term in a two-round system. The electoral campaign officially began August 5 and will terminate on October 8.
In Summary
The frontrunners are incumbent President George Weah of the Congress for Democratic Change, and former Vice President Joseph Boakai of the opposition Unity Party. If none of the candidates gets at least 50 percent plus one of the vote in the first round, there will be a runoff between the two top candidates.
Other top contenders are Alexander Cummings of the Alternative National Congress, Tiawan Gongloe of the Liberian People’s Party, and Benoni Urey of the All Liberian Party.
Liberia's long and unique history
Liberia is one of the two countries in Africa that were not colonized. Founded in 1847 by freed American slaves, the country’s first president was Joseph Jenkins Roberts elected in 1848. Liberia then became a one-party state from 1878 – 1980, under leadership of the True Whig Party. Samuel Doe ended the one-party rule through a coup d’état in 1980.
The coup triggered the First Liberian civil war, one of the bloodiest and most cruel conflicts in Africa. Doe was overthrown and killed in 1990. The Second Liberian civil war started in 1999 and lasted to 2003. in 2005, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was elected president, becoming the 1st female head of state in Africa. Sirleaf was re-elected in 2011 for a second and last term. The incumbent George Weah was elected president in 2018.
Let us look at the long history of Liberia’s 25 presidents since 1848.
Liberia's Heads of State
Event
Timeline
Joseph Jenkins Roberts
1848 - 1856
Stephen Allen Benson
1856 - 1864
Daniel Edward Howard
1864 - 1868
James Spriggs Payne
1868 - 1870
Edward James Roye
1870 - 1871
Anthony William Gardiner
1871 - 1878
Hilary R.W. Johnson
1878 - 1883
Alfred Francis Russell
1883 - 1885
Joseph James Cheeseman
1885 - 1892
William David Coleman
1892 - 1896
Arthur Barclay
1896 - 1900
Garretson W. Gibson
1900 - 1904
Arthur Barclay
1904 - 1909
Daniel E. Howard
1909 - 1912
Charles D.B. King
1912 - 1919
Edwin Barclay
1919 - 1930
Charles D.B. King
1930 - 1934
Edwin Barclay
1934 - 1943
William V.S. Tubman
1944 - 1971
William R. Tolbert Jr.
1971 - 1980
Samuel K. Doe
1980 - 1990
Amos Sawyer
1990 - 1994
Charles Taylor
1994 - 2003
Gyude Bryant
2003 - 2006
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
2006 - 2018
George Weah
2018 - present
Issues at play
As remarked by the African Center for Strategic Studies, a think-tank, beyond the personalities involved, the central issue to watch in Liberia’s 2023 elections will be how well the country’s nascent democratic institutions hold up against pressure to accommodate and reinstitute a strongman model of executive power.
In the December 2020 referendum, President Weah had proposed eight amendments to the Constitution, including one shortening presidential terms from 6 years to 5 years. Fearing that this was a pretext for resetting the constitutional clock and extend his time in power, the public soundly defeated all eight resolutions.Â
The public concerns range from a poor economy to rampant corruption. Weah is hoping that his infrastructure projects and policy victories, like the declaration of free tertiary education in government universities and the passage of dual citizenship laws will give him an edge in his campaigns.
Thousands of people gathered in Liberia’s capital Monrovia on Sunday as opposition leader Boakai launched his campaign ahead of October 10 elections.Â