Annex:Presidents of Liberia

The President of Liberia is the head of state and government of the Republic of Liberia. Current President George Weah, who took office on January 22, 2018.

History

On July 26, 1847, American colonists declared the independence of the Republic of Liberia and Joseph Jenkins Roberts became its first president. Relations between the settlers and the native Liberians were confrontational since the founding of Liberia and finally led to the overthrow of the American-Liberian regime in 1980. The American-Liberian settlers had organized their political power since 1878 in the True Whig Party. /i> which did not allow any type of organized political opposition.

On April 12, 1980, Doe led a bloody coup against President Tolbert, which ended with Tolbert's assassination. Thus ended the political dominance of the Americo-Liberian elite in the country. Samuel Doe established a military regime called the People's Redemption Council (CRP). Liberia remained an important ally of the United States in the Cold War, protecting American interests and investments and blocking Soviet influence in Africa. Doe ordered the closure of the Libyan embassy in Liberia and even cut diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union.

Samuel Doe's government survived seven coup attempts between 1981 and 1985. In August 1981 Doe ordered the arrest and execution of Thomas Weh Syen and four other CRP members for allegedly plotting against him. Internal divisions soon broke out in the CRP and his government became increasingly corrupt and repressive, crushing any political opposition, closing newspapers and imprisoning journalists.

Opposition to President Doe has been increasing since 1985, becoming an ethnic conflict. Among the opponents was Charles Taylor who gathered a group of exiles and rebels into the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (FNPL). In December 1989, the FNPL invaded the Nimba region of Liberia. Thousands of Gio and Mano joined them, as well as Liberians from other tribes. The Liberian army counterattacked and repressed the civilian population in the area. In the mid-1990s, war had broken out between the president's Krahn tribe on one side and the Gio and Mano on the other. On both sides, thousands of civilians were massacred.

In 1990 the ECOWAS sent a pacification army shortly after Samuel Doe was captured, tortured and murdered; Finally, in 1996, the civil war ended. In the 1997 general elections, Charles Taylor, who throughout his government dedicated himself to combating insurgencies, won. Suspecting international conspiracies, Taylor also supported rebels in neighboring countries, such as Sierra Leone, selling weapons in exchange for diamonds.

Finally one of the insurgent groups, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), took the capital and Taylor fled to Nigeria. On August 18, 2003, the Liberian government, rebels, political parties and civil society leaders signed a peace agreement that created the structure for a two-year National Transitional Government. In the 2005 presidential elections, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, a former World Bank economist who had studied at Harvard, and descendant of Americo-Liberians and indigenous people, won.

Choice

According to the 1986 constitution, the president will be elected by universal suffrage among the voters registered for such an event (article 50). Along with the president, the vice president is also elected.

The candidate must be Liberian, over 35 years old, have resided continuously in the country for ten years and not be from the same county as the vice president. In addition, he must submit a declaration of assets of not less than $250,000 (article 52).

Mandate

The office of president of Liberia elected for a period of six years, with the possibility of re-election. Under article 62 the president can be removed from office if he is under accusation of treason, misconduct or violation of the Constitution.

In cases where the presidency is vacant, it will be assumed by the vice president (article 63) who will complete the presidential term.

Powers

The president of Liberia is the head of State, head of the Government and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces (article 50).

As it is a presidential republic, the president has broad powers, although he must have the approval of the House of Representatives for the appointment of ministers, ambassadors, the Chief Judge of the country and other civil and military positions (article 54).

The president appoints and dismisses the members of his cabinet (article 56). He also has the power to guide the foreign policy of the republic and the right to pardon (articles 57 and 59).

List of Presidents (1848-present)

• (†)
• dispossessed by a coup d’état

President of the Republic			Home	Fin	Party	Elections	Vice-Chairman
		Joseph Jenkins Roberts (1809-1876)	3 January 1848	7 January 1856	Independent	1847 1849 1851 1853		Nathaniel Brander
								Anthony D. Williams
								Stephen Allen Benson
		Stephen Allen Benson (1816-1865)	7 January 1856	4 January 1864	Independent	1855 1857 1859 1861		Beverly Page Yachts
								Daniel Bashiel Warner
		Daniel Bashiel Warner (1815-1880)	4 January 1864	6 January 1868	Republican	1863 1865		James M. Priest
		James Spriggs Payne (1819-1882)	6 January 1868	3 January 1870	Republican	1867		Joseph Gibson
		Edward James Roye (1815-1872)	3 January 1870	26 October 1871	Whig	1869		James Skivring Smith
		James Skivring Smith (1819-1882)	26 October 1871	1 January 1872	Whig			Vacant
		Joseph Jenkins Roberts (1809-1876)	1 January 1872	3 January 1876 (†)	Republican	1871 1873		Anthony W. Gardiner
		James Spriggs Payne (1819-1882)	3 January 1876	7 January 1878	Republican	1875		Charles Harmon
		Anthony W. Gardiner (1820-1885)	7 January 1878	20 January 1883	Whig	1877 1879		Alfred Francis Russell
		Alfred Francis Russell (1817-1884)	20 January 1883	7 January 1884	Whig	1881		Vacant
		Hilary R. W. Johnson (1837-1901)	7 January 1884	4 January 1892	Whig	1883 1885 1887 1889		James Thompson
		Joseph James Cheeseman (1843-1896)	4 January 1892	12 November 1896 (†)	Whig	1891 1893		William David Coleman
		William David Coleman (1842-1908)	12 November 1896	11 December 1900	Whig	1895 1897		Vacant
								Joseph J. Ross
		Garretson W. Gibson (1832-1910)	11 December 1900	4 January 1904	Whig	1899 1901		Vacant
								Joseph D. Summerville
		Arthur Barclay (1854-1938)	4 January 1904	1 January 1912	Whig	1903 1905 1907		Vacant
								J. J. Dossen
		Daniel Edward Howard (1861-1935)	1 January 1912	5 January 1920	Whig	1911 1915		Samuel George Harmon
		Charles D. B. King (1861-1935)	5 January 1920	3 December 1930	Whig	1919 1923 1927		Samuel Alfred Ross
								Henry Too Wesley
								Allen Yancy
		Edwin Barclay (1882-1955)	3 December 1930	3 January 1944	Whig	1931 1939		James Skivring Smith, Jr.
		William Tubman (1895-1971)	3 January 1944	23 July 1971	Whig	1943 1951 1955 1959 1963 1967		Clarence Simpson
								William R. Tolbert Jr.
		William R. Tolbert (1913-1980)	23 July 1971	12 April 1980 (†)	Whig	1971 1975		Vacant
								James Edward Greene
								Vacant
								Bennie Dee Warner
Popular Redemption Council
		Samuel Kanyon Doe (1950-1990)	12 April 1980	6 January 1986	Military	-		Vacant
Constitutional Government
		Samuel Kanyon Doe (1950-1990)	6 January 1986	9 September 1990 (†)	NDPL	1985		Harry Moniba
Interim Government of National Unity
		Amos Sawyer (1945-2022)	22 November 1990	7 March 1994	LPP	-		Vacant
State Council
		David D. Kpormakpor (1935-2010)	7 March 1994	1 September 1995	Independent	-		Vacant
		Wilton G. S. Sankawulo (1937-2009)	1 September 1995	3 September 1996	Independent	-
		Ruth Perry (1939-2017)	3 September 1996	2 August 1997	Unit	-
Constitutional Government
		Charles Ghankay Taylor (1948-)	2 August 1997	11 August 2003	NPP	1997		Enoch Dogolea
								Moses Blah
		Moses Blah (1947-2013)	11 August 2003	14 October 2003	NPP	-		Vacant
Liberia National Transitional Council
		Gyude Bryant (1949-2014)	14 October 2003	16 January 2006	LAP	-		Vacant
Constitutional Governments
		Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf (1938-)	16 January 2006	22 January 2018	Unit	2005 2011		Joseph Boakai
		George Weah (1966-)	22 January 2018		CDC	2017		Jewel Taylor