1997 Liberian general election

none Liberia 1985 Liberian general election 1985 2005 Liberian general election 2005 19 July 1997 yes presidential Presidential election Charles Taylor 1984 mugshot (cropped).jpg Charles Taylor National Patriotic Party 468,443 75.33% Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, April 2010.jpg Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Unity Party (Liberia) 59,557 9.58% President Ruth Perry Independent politician Charles Taylor National Patriotic Party 1997 Liberian presidential election - Results by county.svg Results by county General elections were held in Liberia on 19 July 1997 as part of the 1996 peace agreement ending the First Liberian Civil War. The presidency, as well as all seats in the House of Representatives and the Senate were up for election. Voter turnout was around 89%.Senate Election results of Liberia, 1997 1997 http://www.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/arc/2184_97.htm Interparliamentary Union for Democracy for everyone 22 October 2016 Former rebel leader Charles Taylor and his National Patriotic Party (NPP) won the election with 75.3% of the vote, giving it about three-quarters of the legislative seats according to the proportional representation system.Nohlen, D, Krennerich, M & Thibaut, B (1999) Elections in Africa: A data handbook, pp515-518 0-19-829645-2 Taylor was inaugurated as president on 2 August 1997. Taylor campaigned on, among other slogans, "He killed my ma, he killed my pa, but I will vote for him."Sarah Left War in Liberia 2003-08-04 https://www.theguardian.com/westafrica/story/0,,1008084,00.html The Guardian 2008-01-18 London The elections were overseen by the United Nations' peacekeeping mission, United Nations Observer Mission in Liberia, along with a contingent from the Economic Community of West African States. Taylor's closest competitor, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, collected only 10 percent of the vote. Background During 1984 a new draft constitution was approved in a referendum, which allowed a 58-member civilian and military combined Interim National Assembly, headed by President Samuel Doe. The ban on political parties was lifted and the nation went for elections in 1985.Gifford Paul https://books.google.com/books?id=GFZ_TIc4q6UC Christianity and Politics in Doe's Liberia Cambridge Cambridge University Press 1993 22 9780521520102The New Democracies: Global Change and U.S. Policy Brad Roberts https://archive.org/details/newdemocracies001985 registration 1985 liberia elections. 188 MIT Press 1990 9780262680622 The election results were announced on 29 October, with NDPL leading both in the presidential, Assembly and Senate. Doe was sworn in as the president on 6 January and a civilian cabinet on 15 January. The period after the elections saw increased human rights abuses, corruption, and ethnic tensions, ultimately leading to the start of the First Liberian Civil War in 1989 and Doe's overthrow and murder in 1990. During the civil war between 1990 and 1997, 200,000 people died, accounting for roughly 10 per cent of pre-war population; one-third were left as refugees and almost most of the population migrated at some point. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) lead initiatives to bring peace to the nation and an ECOWAS Cease fire monitoring committee was overseeing the agreements. National Patriotic Front of Liberia leader, Charles Taylor was leading the war. There were various treaties signed to bring peace to Liberia, namely, the Cotonou Accord on 25 July 1993, the Akosombo Agreement on 12 August 1994, and its Accra Clarification. Abuja Agreement, one of the last thirteen peace agreement was signed during 19 August 1995 in Nigeria. Taylor agreed to dissolve NPFL and form a civil party later, which went on to be the National Patriotic Party.Postconflict Elections, Democratization, and International Assistance https://books.google.com/books?id=Y_nXi_oNu-UC&q=1997+liberia+elections&pg=PA177 177 Peace and Election in Liberia Terrence Lyons Krishna Kumar Lynne Rienner Publishers 1998 9781555877781 On 14 February 1997, it was announced that elections would be held on 30 May 1997, but a postponement was needed with the elections eventually scheduled for 19 July. Electoral system The Legislature of Liberia was modeled based on the Legislature of United States. It was bicameral, with a Senate and the House of Representatives. There are 13 counties in the country and based on the population, each county is defined to have at least two members, while the total number of members to the house including the Speaker being 64. Each member represents an electoral district and elected to a six-year term based on popular vote. There were 26 senators, two each for the 13 counties and they serve a nine-year term (30 senators, 15 counties and nine years from 2011). Senators are also elected based on plurality of votes. The vice-president is the head of the Senate and he also acts as president in his absence.About The Republic Of Liberia – Politics http://www.micat.gov.lr/index.php/home/republic-of-liberia/about-liberia/84-about-the-republic-of-liberia.html?showall=&start=2 23 October 2016 2014 Ministry of Information, Government of Liberia 28 January 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220128183630/https://www.micat.gov.lr/index.php/home/republic-of-liberia/about-liberia/84-about-the-republic-of-liberia.html?showall=&start=2 dead To be eligible as a voter, one had to be 18 years of age and registered on electoral rolls. Persons who were of foreign origin, insane, or convicted in crime were not eligible. The eligibility criteria to be candidate of a political party in the House of Representatives were residence in the country for one year before the elections, and being a taxpayer 25 years of age. The eligibility criteria to be candidate of a political party in the Senate were residence in the country for one year continuously before the elections, and being a taxpayer 30 years of age. Conduct The Election Commission faced challenges in educating the public about the voting, and secrecy of voting. An estimated 70 to 90 percent of the population were illiterate, making it even more difficult to educate them. Also, the True Whig Party's historical dominance had not allowed a pluralistic political culture.Elections Today https://books.google.com/books?id=12AEAAAAMBAJ&q=1997+liberia+elections&pg=PA10 Illiteracy poses multiple challenges in Liberia Ted Lawrence 10 8 2 International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) 1073-6719 1999 5 November 2016 The logistical challenges were worsened by the agreement for immediate elections, as most Liberian infrastructure was lost in the civil war. The elections were overseen by the United Nations' peacekeeping mission, United Nations Observer Mission in Liberia, along with a contingent from the Economic Community of West African States.https://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/dpko/co_mission/unomil.htm UNOMIL 18 January 2008 2001 Information Technology Section/Department of Public Information Results The final results were announced in August, which gave an overwhelming majority to NPP both in the House and Senate. Taylor won the election in a landslide, garnering 75 percent of the vote. Taylor's closest competitor, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, collected only 10 percent of the vote. Nyudueh Morkonmana was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Taylor was sworn in as the president of Liberia on 3 August and his cabinet was announced in the following weeks. y Presidential candidate House Senate National Patriotic Party Charles Taylor 468443 49 21 Unity Party Ellen Johnson Sirleaf 59557 7 3 All Liberia Coalition Party Alhaji G.V. Kromah 25059 3 2 Alliance of Political Parties (LAP–LUP) Cletus Wotorson 15969 2 0 United People's Party Gabriel Baccus Matthews 15604 2 0 Liberian People's Party Togba-Nah Tipoteh 10010 1 0 National Democratic Party George Boley 7843 0 0 Liberia National Union Harry Moniba 6708 0 0 People's Democratic Party George T. Washington 3497 0 0 National Reformation Party Martin Sheriff 2965 0 0 Progressive People's Party Chea Cheapoo 2142 0 0 Reformation Alliance Party Henry Fahnbulleh 2067 0 0 Free Democratic Party Fayah Gbollie 2016 0 0 64 26 751430 African Elections Database See also History of Liberia First Liberian Civil War References Category:Elections in Liberia Liberia Category:1997 in Liberia Category:July 1997 in Africa Category:Election and referendum articles with incomplete results