Jeremiah Kpan Koung (born 17 March 1978) is a Liberian politician who is the 31st and current vice president of Liberia. He served in the House of Representatives of Liberia from 2012 to 2020,and was elected to the Senate of Liberia in 2020. He became the standard bearer of the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction in 2022. In 2023,after Koung had become a member of the Unity Party,Joseph Boakai selected Koung as his running mate during his presidential run.
Koung was born on 17 March 1978 in Yekepa,Nimba County. There he began his primary school education in 1981. He moved to Ganta with his father in 1983. In 1986,moved to stay with his aunt in Buchanan. His education was interrupted by the First Liberian Civil War in 1990. By 1996,Koung returned to Ganta after spending years in a refugee camp in Guinea. That year he enrolled in high school,graduating by 2001. He started attending Cuttington University in 2006,and graduated with a BA in business administration by 2010. [1]
Koung was elected to the House of Representatives of Liberia in 2011,under the National Union for Democratic Progress banner. [2] Koung's campaign was endorsed by ex-warlord Senator Prince Johnson. [3] [4] He represented the Nimba County #1 District. [5] In 2011,Koung began construction of the Ester and Jereline Medical Center. It was completed in July 2016. [6] In an investigation the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia found that Koung,between 2012 and 2021,received nearly US$1 million to run this private hospital. [7] He claimed he had turned the hospital over to the government,however,no documents disclosing such a transfer have been produced. [8]
In the 2017 election,Koung was re-elected to his Nimba County House seat under the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR) banner. [9] In the 2020 election,Koung's senatorial run was again endorsed by Senator Johnson. [10] Koung won election to the Senate,again running with the MDR. [11] Koung became the second leader of the MDR party after an election on 22 December 2022,succeeding founder of the party,Senator Johnson. [12] As standard bearer,Koung continued Johnson's policy of opposing the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change. [13]
On 28 April 2023,former vice president and standard bearer of the Unity Party (UP),Joseph Boakai announced Koung as his running mate for Boakai's 2023 presidential run. [7] Koung became a full member of the UP before to his selection as running mate. [14] After the initial October election,neither Boakai and Koung nor incumbents George Weah and Jewel Taylor received a majority of the vote,triggering a run-off election in November. [15] On 10 November,during a campaign event in Zor-Zoalay Town,Nimba County,there was an attack involving gunfire. Several were hospitalized,and Senators Koung and Johnson narrowly escaped. [16] [17]
On 17 November 2023,after the run-off election,President Weah conceded the election,resulting in Boakai becoming president-elect and Koung becoming vice president-elect. [18]
Prince Yormie Johnson was a Liberian warlord and politician,who served as a senator for Nimba County from 2006 to 2024. Once a rebel leader,Johnson played a prominent role in the First Liberian Civil War.
Yekepa is a town in the Yahmein or Yarmein District of northern Nimba County in Liberia,lying near the Guinean border. It was the base for Lamco's iron ore mining operation until it was destroyed in the First Liberian Civil War which lasted from 1989 to 1997. Nearby Guesthouse Hill is one of the highest points in the nation. The community is home to the African Bible College University. Despite some controversy,international steel company Arcelor Mittal was given approval to begin restoring the once prosperous mining town in May 2007. The reconstruction was to include a hospital,schools and other facilities for the township. However,due to fluctuations in world iron prices,much of the redevelopment never happened,and less than a decade later,much of the site had been abandoned once again.
Nimba County is a county in northeastern Liberia that shares borders with the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire in the East and the Republic of Guinea in the Northwest. Its capital city is Sanniquellie and its most populous city is Ganta. With the county's area measuring 11,551 square miles (29,920 km2),Nimba is the largest of Liberia's 15 counties. The county has six statutory districts. As of the 2022 Census,it had a population of 621,841,making it the second most populous county in Liberia.
The Unity Party (UP) is a political party in Liberia that was started in 1984 by Edward B. Kesselly,also its first standard bearer. Officially founded in Buchanan,Grand Bassa County,the party was established on 27 July 1985. The Unity Party participated in the first elections after the 1980 coup,running against President Samuel Doe in October 1985. The party has remained active in Liberian politics since and is the current ruling party following the 2023 Liberian general election.
Joseph Nyumah Boakai is a Liberian politician who has served as the 26th president of Liberia since 2024. He previously served as the 29th vice president of Liberia from 2006 to 2018,under President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and as the minister of agriculture from 1983 to 1985. Boakai ran for president in 2017,losing the election to George Weah. He went on to defeat Weah in the 2023 election.
The National Union for Democratic Progress (NUDP) was a political party in Liberia.
General elections were held in Liberia on 10 October 2017 to elect the President and House of Representatives. No candidate won a majority in the first round of the presidential vote,so the top two finishers –CDC standard-bearer Amb. George Weah and UP standard-bearer Vice President Joseph Boakai –competed in a run-off on 26 December. The second round was originally scheduled for 7 November,but was postponed after LP standard-bearer Cllr. Charles Brumskine,in third place,challenged the result in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court dismissed the challenge,which would have forced a re-run of the first round had it been successful,and the second round was held on 26 December. Weah emerged victorious with 60% of the vote.
The All Liberian Party (ALP) is a political party in Liberia.
Gbehzohngar Milton Findley is a Liberian politician and businessman. He is a former President Pro Tempore of the Liberian Senate and also the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the administration of President Weah until 28 July 2020.
General elections were held in Liberia on 10 October 2023 to elect the President,House of Representatives and half of the Senate. Incumbent president George Weah was eligible for a second term. No candidate won a majority in the first round,with Weah narrowly placing first over opposition leader Joseph Boakai,which meant both advanced to a runoff held on 14 November 2023. Boakai defeated Weah by just over one percentage point in the closest runoff in Liberia's history,and Weah conceded the election peacefully.
Events in the year 2023 in Liberia.
Emmanuel James Nuquay is a Liberian politician. He currently serves as a senator from Margibi County.
The Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR) is a political party in Liberia.
Gunpue L. Kargon is a Liberian politician.
The Liberia Restoration Party (LRP) is a political party in Liberia.
The Vision for Liberia Transformation (VOLT) is a political party in Liberia.
Events in the year 2024 in Liberia.
The Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) was a political alliance in Liberia. The alliance was originally formed in 2018 by four opposition political parties:the All Liberian Party (ALP),the Unity Party (UP),the Alternative National Congress (ANC),and the Liberty Party (LP). It was certified by the National Elections Commission (NEC) in 2020. By February 2022,the ALP and UP had withdrawn the alliance. By March 2022,a large faction of the LP had left as well. In April 2024,the CPP had officially dissolved.
The Victory for Change Party (VCP) is a political party in Liberia. It is a part of the Rainbow Alliance.
The 2024 Liberian by-elections were held on April 23,2024. The by-elections were the result of two vacancies:one in the Senate in Nimba County,the other in the House of Representatives,in Grand Gedeh County's 1st district.