General elections were held in Liberia in 1927. In the presidential election, the result was a victory for

Charles D. B. King Charles Dunbar Burgess King (12 March 1875 – 4 September 1961) was a Liberian politician who served as the 17th president of Liberia from 1920 to 1930. He was of Americo-Liberian and Sierra Leone Creole descent. He was a member of the True Whig ...

of the

True Whig Party The True Whig Party (TWP), also known as the Liberian Whig Party (LWP), is the oldest List of political parties in Liberia, political party in Liberia and one of the oldest parties in Africa. Founded in 1869 by primarily darker-skinned Americo-L ...

, who was re-elected for a third term after defeating Thomas J. Faulkner of the People's Party.Elections in Liberia
African Elections Database The elections were referred to as "the most rigged ever" by Francis Johnson-Morris, a modern head of the country's National Elections Commission, and also made it into the '' Guinness Book of Records'' as the most fraudulent election ever reported in history. Despite there being fewer than 15,000 registered voters, according to the official falsified results, King received around 240,000 votes, compared to 9,000 for Faulkner,Elections Chief Hints Slashing Numbers of Mushrooming Parties for 2005 Polls
New Democrat theoretically resulting in a

voter turnout In political science, voter turnout is the participation rate (often defined as those who cast a ballot) of a given election. This can be the percentage of registered voters, eligible voters, or all voting-age people. According to Stanford Univ ...

that was in excess of 1,660%.

Results

Aftermath

Following the election, Faulkner accused members of the True Whig Party government of using slave labor at home and selling slaves to the Spanish colony of Fernando Po, as well as involving the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

in the process. Despite the government's denials and a refusal to cooperate, the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

established the "International Commission of Inquiry into the Existence of Slavery and Forced Labor in the Republic of Liberia",History of Liberia
GlobalSecurity.org under the chairmanship of British jurist

Cuthbert Christy Cuthbert Christy (1863 – 29 May 1932) was an English doctor and zoologist who undertook extensive explorations of Central Africa during the first part of the 20th century. He was known for his work on sleeping sickness, and for the Christy Repo ...

, to determine the extent of the problem. U.S. president

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...

briefly suspended relations to press

Monrovia 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 th ...

into compliance. In 1930, the committee's report was published, and although it could not substantiate charges of slavery and forced labor, it implicated government officials, including both King and vice president

Allen Yancy Allen N. Yancy (1881–1941) was the 20th vice president of Liberia from 1928 to 1930 under President Charles D. B. King. He was forced to resign in 1930 following his involvement with forced labor exported to the Spanish-controlled island of Fern ...

of profiting from forced labor, which it equated to slavery. There were also suggestions about putting Liberia into

trusteeship Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to t ...

.Liberia Country Studies: Liberia and the League of Nations
GlobalSecurity.org As a result, the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

began impeachment procedures against King, who quickly resigned.Forced Labor Scandal
Liberia Past and Present He was succeeded by Edwin Barclay. Faulkner contested the 1931 elections, but lost again.

References

{{Liberian elections Liberia 1927 in Liberia Elections in Liberia May 1927 events Electoral fraud Guinness World Records Election and referendum articles with incomplete results