The National Transitional Legislative Assembly (NTLA) was

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast� ...

's legislative body during the country's transition from civil war to democratic rule (October 2003–January 2006).

Background

The NTLA was created as part of an August 2003 peace agreement that ended a

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

between government forces of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Charles Taylor and two rebel groups -

Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy 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 w ...

(LURD) and the

Movement for Democracy in Liberia The Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL) was a rebel group in Liberia that became active in March 2003, launching attacks from Ivory Coast. MODEL was based on the Force Spéciale pour la Libération du Monde Africain (LIMA) militia formed i ...

(MODEL). It also called for the creation of a broad-based

transitional government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, or a transitional government, is an emergency governmental authority set up to manage a political transition generally in the cases of a newly formed state or f ...

that would rule for two years, ending with the holding of

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...

in October 2005 and the installation of a democratically elected government by January 2006.

Composition

The NTLA replaced the

bicameral Bicameralism is a type of legislature, one divided into two separate assemblies, chambers, or houses, known as a bicameral legislature. Bicameralism is distinguished from unicameralism, in which all members deliberate and vote as a single gr ...

Legislature A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...

, which was

elected Elected may refer to: * "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973 * ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008 *The Elected, an American indie rock band See also *Election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population ...

in 1997. It consisted of 76 appointed members representing the Taylor government,

rebel A rebel is a participant in a rebellion. Rebel or rebels may also refer to: People * Rebel (given name) * Rebel (surname) * Patriot (American Revolution), during the American Revolution * American Southerners, as a form of self-identification ...

groups,

political parties A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...

, and

civil society Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.Trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...

s, Teachers unions, Liberians in the

Diaspora A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of origin. Historically, the word was used first in reference to the dispersion of Greeks in the Hellenic world, and later Jews after ...

, and Youth organizations.

Responsibilities

According to the 2003 peace agreement, the responsibilities of the National Transitional Legislative Assembly were to: #Function as a legislative body. #Approve the policies and programs of the National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL) for implementation by the cabinet. #Encourage and support the emergence of a new democratic space, particularly in the areas of

human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

and

freedom of expression Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recog ...

Leadership

The NTLA was led by a

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

and Deputy Speaker elected by Assembly members. George Dweh, a founding member of LURD and

Eddington Varmah Eddington Varmah is a Liberian politician. He served as Justice Minister in the administration of President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President ...

, a

Justice Minister A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

in the Taylor government were elected unopposed as Speaker and Deputy Speaker in October 2003. Both were suspended indefinitely on 14 March 2005, along with two other members, for spending money without proper authorization. A vote held on 17 March resulted in

George Koukou George Koukou (born 25 May 1945) 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 th ...

being elected acting Speaker and

David Gbala David Gbala was a Liberian politician. He served as acting Deputy Speaker of the National Transitional Legislative Assembly of Liberia from 17 March 2005 to January 2006. He is from Grand Gedeh County. Gbala replaced Eddington Varmah as Deputy ...

chosen as Deputy Speaker. Koukou received 39 votes while his only opponent Fayah Gbollie, a former presidential candidate and representative of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), won 4.

External links

Text of the 2003 Peace Agreement
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Transitional Legislative Assembly Of Liberia 2003 establishments in Liberia 2005 disestablishments in Liberia History of Liberia

Legislature of Liberia