Liberia

A proud voter in Monrovia shows off his inked finger. Photo by Chris Hennemeyer/IFES.

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Liberia Heads to Polls Despite Call to Boycott

November 09, 2011

Incumbent President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and former United Nations diplomat Winston Tubman were on the ballot November 8, for the presidential run-off election in Liberia. Almami Cyllah, IFES Regional Director for Africa, and Shalva Kipshidze, IFES Chief of Party in Liberia, answer a few questions about the election.

Elections, Electoral Violence, Voter Turnout

Elections in Liberia: November 8 Presidential Run-off Election

November 04, 2011

These frequently asked questions (FAQs) address the upcoming presidential run-off election, general elections that took place in October and the overall structure of Liberia’s electoral system.

Elections, Electoral Systems

Liberians Vote in Great Numbers

October 13, 2011

On 11 October, Liberia held its second election since the conclusion of the bloody civil war that lasted from 1999 to 2003. Julia Hedlund, IFES Program Manager for Africa, comments.

Elections

Liberians Vote in Great Numbers

October 13, 2011

On 11 October, Liberia held its second election since the conclusion of the bloody civil war that lasted from 1999 to 2003. The first round of the presidential election featured 16 candidates, including incumbent President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. IFES staff visited a number of polling stations.

Elections

IFES Congratulates the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates

October 07, 2011

The announcement of the winners of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize—Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberian activist Leymah Gbowee and Yemeni activist Tawakkul Karman—recognizes the importance of advancing gender equality and democracy promotion around the world.

Democracy Assistance, Elections

Conversations and Films: Voter Education Efforts in Liberia

August 31, 2011

In an effort to increase awareness and knowledge on the 23 August constitutional referendum that was held in Liberia, IFES and 18 civil society organizations (CSOs) launched an extensive civic and voter education campaign. Posters were placed throughout Liberian towns and villages, outreach was performed for individuals across the country and a mobile cinema featuring a film on the changes that would be implemented by the referendum went on tour.

Civic Education, Election Procedures

Increasing Women’s Political Participation in Liberia: Challenges and Potential Lessons from India, Rwanda and South Africa

August 19, 2011

Liberia, like many democracies, faces the challenge of identifying and implementing strategies for leveling the numbers of women and men in national governance and decision-making capacities.

Gender Issues, Civic Education

IFES Briefs Congressional Staff on Elections in Africa

November 22, 2010

On November 19, IFES’s Regional Director for Africa Almami Cyllah and Deputy Director for Africa Abigail Wilson briefed Congressional staff about elections in Africa.  Attending the briefing were staff from the House of Representatives and the Congressional Research Service.

Elections

President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf Discusses Democracy in Liberia

May 26, 2010

On May 26, 2010, IFES hosted a roundtable discussion with the President of Liberia Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. The aim of the meeting was to discuss the consolidation of democracy in Liberia and the establishment of a credible and sustainable system of elections. The participants also discussed democracy in Africa and how the international donor community can help the continent continue on its democratization path. Peter Kelly, chairman of the IFES Board of Directors, gave the opening remarks at the meeting that brought together election and democracy experts in the DC area. They gathered at the Ritz-Carlton in the West End. Liberia’s next elections will be held in 2011.

Democracy Assistance, Electoral Systems, Election Procedures, Governance, Rule of Law

Discovering Africa

February 22, 2010

When I first arrived in Liberia on my second field trip for IFES, an unexpected thought crossed my mind: Why am I here? On the surface, there was no obvious connection between me and this distant continent. Five years earlier, I would not have envisioned myself stepping out of a plane into the Monrovian airport.

Democracy Assistance, Civil Society, Elections

Country In Brief

IFES has a rich experience in Liberia, where it has worked over the past 15 years to support democracy and elections, including the landmark 2005 elections, which set the country on a path toward stability and development. IFES’s current five-year, USAID-funded Building Sustainable Elections Management in Liberia program will support the various upcoming elections in Liberia, including the constitutional referendum, 2011 general elections, local elections, and by-elections. Ultimately, IFES aims to increase the capacity of the National Elections Commission (NEC) to efficiently, effectively, impartially, and sustainably manage elections in the coming years. This support will focus on boundary delimitation, voter registration, civic and voter education, and general capacity building.

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