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 President of the Republic of Liberia is the head of state and government of Liberia. The president serves as the leader of the executive branch and as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Liberia.
Elections in Liberia occur solely at the national level. The head of state, the President of Liberia, is elected to a six-year term in a two-round system, in which a run-off between the two candidates with the highest number of votes is held should no single candidate earn a majority of the vote in the first round. The Legislature has two elected chambers.
The 2005 Liberian general election was held on 11 October 2005, with a runoff election for the presidency held on 8 November of that year. The presidency, as well as all seats in the House of Representatives and Senate were up for election. The election marked the end of the political transition following Liberia's second civil war and had been stipulated in the Accra Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2003. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former World Bank employee and Liberian finance minister, won the presidential contest and became the first democratically elected female African head of state in January 2006.
The Legislature of Liberia is the bicameral legislature of the government of Liberia. It consists of a Senate – the upper house, and a House of Representatives – the lower house, modeled after the United States Congress. Sessions are held at the Capitol Building in Monrovia. Legislature of Liberia is considered one of the three branches of government based on the Article III of the Constitution of Liberia that stipulates all three branches ought to be equal and coordinated based on the Principle of checks and balances.
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.
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislative branch of Liberia, and together with the House of Representatives comprises the Legislature of Liberia. Each of the fifteen counties are equally represented by two senators, elected to serve staggered nine-year terms. The Senate meets at the Capitol Building in Monrovia.
A midterm election refers to a type of election where the people can elect their representatives and other subnational officeholders in the middle of the term of the executive. This is usually used to describe elections to a governmental body that are staggered so that the number of offices of that body would not be up for election at the same time. Only a fraction of a body's seats are up for election while others are not until the terms of the next set of members are to expire. The legislators may have the same or longer fixed term of office as the executive, which facilitates an election mid-term of the tenure of the higher office.
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.
General elections were held in Liberia in 1887. In the presidential election, the result was a victory for incumbent Hilary R. W. Johnson of the True Whig Party, who was re-elected for a third term.
General elections were held in Liberia in 1889. In the presidential election, the result was a victory for incumbent Hilary R. W. Johnson of the True Whig Party, who was re-elected for a fourth term, the first candidate to achieve four consecutive election victories.
General elections were held in Liberia in 1893. In the presidential election, incumbent Joseph James Cheeseman of the True Whig Party was re-elected for a second term.
General elections were held in Liberia in 1895. In the presidential election, incumbent Joseph James Cheeseman of the True Whig Party was re-elected for a third term.
General elections were held in Liberia in 1907. In the presidential election Arthur Barclay of the True Whig Party was re-elected for a third term. It was the first time a President had been elected to a four-year term, as all had previously served for two years.
General elections were held in Liberia in 1915. In the presidential election, the result was a victory for incumbent Daniel Edward Howard of the True Whig Party, who was re-elected for a second term.
General elections were held in Liberia in 1923. In the presidential election, the result was a victory for Charles D. B. King of the True Whig Party, who was re-elected for a second term.
General elections were held in Liberia in 1927. In the presidential election, the result was a victory for Charles D. B. King of the True Whig Party, who was re-elected for a third term after defeating Thomas J. Faulkner of the People's Party.
A constitutional referendum was held in Liberia on 7 May 1935, alongside general elections. The changes to the constitution ensured that President Edwin Barclay remained in office without the need for the presidential elections due that year. Although it was claimed to be for economic reasons, the government feared that an election may lead to instability that would lower confidence of foreign powers and creditors. The next elections took place in 1939.
