Liberian Senate election, 2014

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Liberia

Senate elections were held in Liberia on 20 December 2014, with half the seats in the Senate up for election.

Liberia republic in West Africa

Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean to its south-southwest. It covers an area of 111,369 square kilometers (43,000 sq mi) and has a population of around 4,700,000 people. English is the official language and over 20 indigenous languages are spoken, representing the numerous ethnic groups who make up more than 95% of the population. The country's capital and largest city is Monrovia.

Contents

Background

The elections were originally scheduled to be held on 14 October 2014, as defined by the constitution. [1] However, they were postponed until 16 December due to the Ebola epidemic. Shortly before 16 December, they were postponed again until 20 December. [2]

Constitution of Liberia

The Constitution of Liberia is the supreme law of the Republic of Liberia. The current constitution, which came into force on 6 January 1986, replaced the Liberian Constitution of 1847, which had been in force since the independence of Liberia. Much like the 1847 Constitution, the Constitution creates a system of government heavily modeled on the Federal Government of the United States.

Campaign

In early December President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf banned political rallies, claiming that they could cause the Ebola virus to spread. [3]

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Liberian politician and 24th president of Liberia

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is a Liberian politician who served as the 24th President of Liberia from 2006 to 2018. Sirleaf was the first elected female head of state in Africa.

A total of 139 candidates ran for the 15 seats, including former footballer George Weah. [4] Fourteen parties nominated candidates, with 26 people standing as independents. [5]

George Weah 25th President of Liberia and retired association football player

George Tawlon Manneh Oppong Ousman Weah is a Liberian politician and former professional football player currently serving as the 25th President of Liberia, in office since 2018. Prior to his election to the presidency, Weah served as Senator from Montserrado County. During his football career, he played as a striker. His prolific 18-year professional playing career ended in 2003.

Results

PartyVotes%Seats
Congress for Democratic Change 135,89729.782
Liberty Party 52,35111.472
Unity Party 47,12310.334
National Patriotic Party 27,6026.051
People's Unification Party 22,5284.941
Alternative National Congress 18,9174.151
Alliance for Peace and Democracy 18,4104.030
National Democratic Coalition 5,7261.251
Union of Liberian Democrats 4,0920.900
Liberia Transformation Party3,6800.810
Grassroot Democratic Party of Liberia3,1540.690
Movement for Progressive Change3,0380.670
Liberia National Union 1,7790.390
Victory for Change Party1,2660.280
Independent110,70724.263
Invalid/blank votes23,666
Total479,93610015
Registered voters/turnout1,903,22925.22
Source: NEC, NEC

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