The Politics of Liberia takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic modeled on the government of the United States,whereby the President is the head of state and head of government;unlike the United States,however,Liberia is a unitary state as opposed to a federation and has a pluriform multi-party system rather than the two-party system that characterizes US politics. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of the legislature.
The Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) are the armed forces of the Republic of Liberia. Tracing its origins to a militia that was formed by the first black colonists in what is now Liberia,it was founded as the Liberian Frontier Force in 1908,and retitled in 1956. For almost all of its history,the AFL has received considerable materiel and training assistance from the United States. For most of the 1941–89 period,training was largely provided by U.S. advisers,though this assistance has not prevented the same generally low levels of effectiveness common to most of the armed forces in the developing world.
Charles McArthur Ghankay Taylor is a Liberian former politician and convicted war criminal who served as the 22nd president of Liberia from 2 August 1997 until his resignation on 11 August 2003 as a result of the Second Liberian Civil War and growing international pressure.
Monrovia is the capital city of the West African country of Liberia. Founded in 1822,it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and as of the 2008 census had 1,010,970 residents,home to 29% of Liberia’s total population. As the nation's primate city,Monrovia is the country's economic,financial and cultural center;its economy is primarily centered on its harbor and its role as the seat of Liberian government.
The Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) was a rebel group in Liberia that was active from 1999 until the resignation of Charles Taylor ended the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003. While the group formally dissolved after the war,the interpersonal linkages of the civil war era remain a key force in internal Liberian politics.
Montserrado County is a county in the northwestern portion of the West African nation of Liberia containing its national capital,Monrovia. One of 15 counties that comprise the first-level of administrative division in the nation,it has 17 sub political districts. As of the 2008 Census,it had a population of 1,118,241,making it the most populous county in Liberia. The area of the county measures 1,912.7 square kilometres (738.5 sq mi),the smallest in the country. Bensonville serves as the capital.
Grand Cape Mount is a county in the northwestern portion of the West African nation of Liberia. One of 15 counties that constitute the first-level of administrative division in the nation,it has five districts. Robertsport serves as the capital with the area of the county measuring 5,162 square kilometres (1,993 sq mi). As of the 2008 Census,it had a population of 129,817,making it the eighth most populous county in Liberia. The county is bordered by Gbarpolu County to the northeast and Bomi County to the southeast. The northern part of Grand Cape Mount borders the nation of Sierra Leone,while to the west lies the Atlantic Ocean.
Arthur Barclay was the 15th president of Liberia from 1904 to 1912.
The First Liberian Civil War was the first in a series of two civil wars within the West African nation of Liberia. It lasted from 1989 to 1997. President Samuel Doe established a regime in 1980 but totalitarianism and corruption led to unpopularity and the withdrawal of support from the United States by the late 1980s. The National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) led by Charles Taylor invaded Liberia from the Ivory Coast to overthrow Doe in December 1989 and gained control over most of the country within a year. Doe was captured and executed by the Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia (INPFL),a splinter faction of the NPFL led by Prince Johnson,in September 1990. The NPFL and INPFL fought each other for control of the capital city,Monrovia and against the Armed Forces of Liberia and pro-Doe United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy. Peace negotiations and foreign involvement led to a ceasefire in 1995 but fighting continued until a peace agreement between the main factions occurred in August 1996. Taylor was elected President of Liberia following the 1997 Liberian general election and entered office in August of the same year.
The Second Liberian Civil War was a civil war in the West African nation of Liberia that lasted from 1999 to 2003.
Bomi is a county in the northwestern portion of the West African nation of Liberia. The county was established in 1984. The county's area is 746 square miles (1,900 km2).
The House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the bicameral legislative branch of Liberia,and together with the Senate comprises the Legislature of Liberia. The number of seats is fixed by law at 73,with each county being apportioned a number of seats based on its percentage of the national population. House members represent single-member districts within the counties drawn up by the National Elections Commission and serve six-year terms. The House meets at the Capitol Building in Monrovia.
George Koukou was acting Speaker of the National Transitional Legislative Assembly of Liberia from 17 March 2005 to January 2006. Originally from Nimba County,he now resides in the capital city of Monrovia. He is a member of the Mano ethnic group.
William David Coleman was an Americo-Liberian politician. A True Whig Party member,he served as the 13th president of Liberia from 1896 to 1900. Born in Fayette County,Kentucky,United States,he emigrated to Liberia in 1853. In 1877,he was elected to the House of Representatives and served as Speaker of the House of Representatives until 1879. Later he served in the Senate and then as vice president before assuming the presidency when Joseph James Cheeseman died in office.
The Liberian National Police is the national police force in Liberia. The LNP's mandate is:
James Alexander Adolphus Pierre was the 13th Chief Justice of Liberia,serving from 1971 until his death in 1980. He had previously served as the Attorney General of Liberia from 1964 to 1971 in the administration of William Tubman.
Johnnie N. Lewis was a Liberian lawyer and politician who served as the 18th Chief Justice of Liberia from 2006 to 2012. Before his appointment to the Supreme Court,he served as a circuit judge in Liberia's judicial system.
General elections were held in Liberia on 11 October 2011,with a second round of the presidential election on 8 November. The presidency,as well as all seats in the House of Representatives and half of the seats in the Senate,were up for election. The election was overseen by the National Elections Commission (NEC).
Alex Jenekai Tyler is a Liberian politician who was Speaker of the House of Representatives of Liberia from 2007 to 2016. He was first elected as the Representative for the 1st District of Bomi County in 2005. Tyler is a member of the Unity Party,having joined in 2009 following its merger with his Liberian Action Party.
Sie-A-Nyene Gyapay Yuoh is a Liberian judge and politician who currently serves as chief justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia and was nominated on August 23,2022. She began to serve after the retirement of former chief justice Francis Korkpor on September 27,2022.
