The president of the Republic of Liberia is the
head of state
A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and ...
and
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government i ...
of
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� ...
. The president serves as the leader of the
executive branch and as
commander-in-chief of the
Armed Forces of Liberia.
Prior to the independence of Liberia in 1847, executive power in the Commonwealth of Liberia was held by the
governor of Liberia, who was appointed by the
American Colonization Society. The
1847 Constitution transferred the executive powers of the governorship to the presidency, which was largely modeled on the
presidency of the United States.
Between 1847 and 1980, the presidency was exclusively held by
Americo-Liberians
Americo-Liberian people or Congo people or Congau people in Liberian English,Cooper, Helene, ''The House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood'' (United States: Simon and Schuster, 2008), p. 6 are a Liberian ethnic group of Afr ...
, the original American settlers of Liberia and their descendants. The original
two-party system
A two-party system is a political party system in which two major political parties consistently dominate the political landscape. At any point in time, one of the two parties typically holds a majority in the legislature and is usually refe ...
, with the
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
* Republican Party (Liberia)
*Republican Party ...
and the
True Whig Party, ended in 1878, when the election of
Anthony W. Gardiner marked the beginning of 102 years of
one-party rule by the True Whigs. Following a ''
coup d'état
A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
'' by disgruntled army officers led by
Samuel Doe in 1980, one-party rule of the True Whigs ended and the presidency was vacated until the election of Doe in the
1985 general election. After his overthrow and murder in 1990, the presidency was again vacated for seven years during the
First Liberian Civil War and again for two years following the conclusion of the
Second Liberian Civil War in 2003.
Under the
1986 Constitution, the president is
directly elected by eligible voters to a six-year term, which may be renewed once. Overall, 25 individuals have served as president, including
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first elected female head of state in Africa. On January 22, 2018,
George Weah was sworn in as the twenty-fifth and current president of Liberia.
History
Following the establishment of the Commonwealth of Liberia in 1838, executive power was vested in the governor of Liberia, who was appointed and served at the pleasure of the
American Colonization Society. The first governor,
Thomas Buchanan, served from 1838 until his death in 1841. He was succeeded by
Joseph Jenkins Roberts, the first person of African descent to serve as governor of Liberia.
Upon independence in 1847, Roberts was elected as the first president of Liberia. The 1847 Constitution denied
suffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...
to the indigenous population by requiring voters to own real estate. As a result, the presidency was exclusively held by
Americo-Liberians
Americo-Liberian people or Congo people or Congau people in Liberian English,Cooper, Helene, ''The House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood'' (United States: Simon and Schuster, 2008), p. 6 are a Liberian ethnic group of Afr ...
until 1980, when a
military coup led by
Samuel Doe, an ethnic
Krahn
The Krahn are an ethnic group of Liberia and Ivory Coast. This group belongs to the Kru language family and its people are sometimes referred to as the Wee, Guéré, Sapo, or Wobe. It is likely that Western contact with the Kru language is the p ...
, overthrew and murdered President
William Tolbert.
The presidency was vacant from 1980 to 1986, with executive power held by Doe as the head of the
People's Redemption Council. Doe was later elected president in the
1985 general election, making him the first president outside of the Americo-Liberian elite. Doe was later overthrown and murdered in 1990 following the commencement
First Liberian Civil War, during which the presidency remained vacant.
Following the
1997 general election,
Charles Taylor held the presidency until his resignation on August 11, 2003 as part of a peace deal to end the
Second Liberian Civil War. His successor,
Moses Blah, ceded executive power on October 13 of that year to
Gyude Bryant, the chairman of the National Transitional Government of Liberia. The presidency was resumed on January 16, 2006 following the
2005 election of
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as the first female president.
George Weah was elected in 2017 as the 23rd president of Liberia. Incumbent president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf signed Executive Order No. 91, thus establishing a Joint Presidential Transition Team, due to the fact that Liberia had "not experienced the transfer of power from one democratically elected president to another democratically elected president for over 70 years
...
Powers and duties
The presidency of Liberia is largely modeled on the
presidency of the United States.
Executive functions
The 1986 Constitution gives the president the power to appoint all
cabinet ministers, judges, ambassadors,
sheriffs,
county officials and
military officers with the
advice and consent
Advice and consent is an English phrase frequently used in enacting formulae of bills and in other legal or constitutional contexts. It describes either of two situations: where a weak executive branch of a government enacts something previ ...
of the
Senate. Additionally, the president has the power to dismiss all appointees from office at his or her discretion. The president may also grant
pardons or revoke sentences and fines. The president conducts all matters of foreign policy, though any treaties or international agreements must be ratified by both houses of the
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 ...
. Furthermore, the president serves as the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Liberia.
The Constitution also grants the president the power to declare a
state of emergency
A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...
during times of war or
civil unrest and suspend
civil liberties
Civil liberties are guarantees and freedoms that governments commit not to abridge, either by constitution, legislation, or judicial interpretation, without due process. Though the scope of the term differs between countries, civil liberties ma ...
during the emergency as necessary, with the exception of
habeas corpus
''Habeas corpus'' (; from Medieval Latin, ) is a recourse in law through which a person can report an unlawful detention or imprisonment to a court and request that the court order the custodian of the person, usually a prison official, ...
. Within seven days of the declaration, the president must state to the Legislature the reasons for the declaration, which both houses must then approve by a two-thirds majority. Otherwise, the president must repeal the state of emergency.
Legislative functions
The president must sign all legislation passed by the
House of Representatives and Senate. The president may choose to veto any legislation, which may be overturned by a two-thirds majority in both houses. Additionally, the president may exercise a
pocket veto by refusing to sign legislation when the end of the twenty-day deadline for signing the bill falls during a recess of the legislature. The president may extend a legislative session past its adjournment date or call a special
extraordinary session when deemed necessary for the national interest. The president must also give an annual report to the legislature on the state of the country.
Eligibility
To be eligible for office under the current Constitution, a presidential candidate must:
*be a natural born citizen of Liberia (per Art, 27(b) of the Constitution,
citizenship
Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection".
Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...
is limited to "persons who are Negroes or of Negro descent");
*be at least thirty-five years old;
*own real property valued at least $25,000;
*have resided in Liberia for at least ten years.
Additionally, the president may not be from the same
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
as the
vice president of Liberia
The vice president of the Republic of Liberia is the second-highest executive official in Liberia, and one of only two elected executive offices along with the president. The vice president is elected on the same ticket with the president to a ...
.
Term and election
Under the original 1847 Constitution, the president was elected to a two-year term, which was increased to four years on May 7, 1907.
Under this amendment, a new president would serve for eight years and could be re-elected to
unlimited four-year terms. During the presidency of
William Tolbert, the Constitution was amended to restrict the president to a single eight-year term; by 1976, voices in the legislature were being raised in favor of returning to the previous system, but Tolbert proclaimed his support for the existing system and vowed to veto any constitutional amendments to remove term limits.
Currently, the president is elected by popular vote to a six-year term and is limited to two terms. Under the 1986 Constitution, presidential elections utilize a
two-round system
The two-round system (TRS), also known as runoff voting, second ballot, or ballotage, is a voting method used to elect a single candidate, where voters cast a single vote for their preferred candidate. It generally ensures a majoritarian resu ...
, wherein a
second round of voting is held between the two candidates with the highest number of votes if no single candidate obtains a majority in the first round. Each term begins and ends at noon on the third working Monday in January of the year immediately following the elections. At the time of their inauguration, each president is required under the Constitution to take a
presidential oath promising to preserve and defend the Constitution and faithfully execute the law. The oath is administered by the
chief justice of Liberia
The chief justice of Liberia is the head of the judicial branch of the Government of the Republic of Liberia and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of Liberia.
Appointment and term
Article 54(c) of the Constitution stipulates that the chief ...
in front of a
joint session of the legislature.
Residence
In 2006, the
Executive Mansion was under renovations due to a fire that damaged parts of the building in July of that year. The office of the president was transferred to the nearby Foreign Ministry building as a result. On 14 February 2022, the Executive Mansion was reopened.
List of officeholders
;Political parties
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
;Other factions
*
*
Timeline
See also
*
Lists of office-holders
*
List of current heads of state and government
History:
*
Agents and governors of Liberia
Notes
References
* Enno Schulz
"Presidents of Liberia
{{DEFAULTSORT:President Of Liberia
Presidents
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� ...
1840s establishments in Liberia