Liberian general election, 2005

Liberian presidential election, 2005
Liberia
11 October and 8 November 2005

 
Nominee Ellen Johnson Sirleaf George Weah
Party Unity CDC
Running mate Joseph Boakai Rudolph Johnson
Popular vote 478,526 327,046
Percentage 59.4% 40.6%

President before election

Gyude Bryant
LAP

Elected President

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
Unity

The 2005 Liberian general election was held on 11 October 2005, with a runoff election for the presidency held on 8 November of that year. The presidency, as well as all seats in the House of Representatives and Senate were up for election. The election marked the end of the political transition following Liberia's second civil war and had been stipulated in the Accra Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2003. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former World Bank employee and Liberian finance minister, won the presidential contest and became the first democratically-elected female African head of state in January 2006.

The election was the first held since the 1997 general election and the election of Charles Taylor and the National Patriotic Party.

Important dates and regulations

Frances Johnson-Morris, the chairwoman of the National Elections Commission (NEC), announced the October 11 date on February 7, 2005.[1]

Elections were scheduled for all 64 seats in the House of Representatives, with each of Liberia's 15 counties having at least two seats and the remaining seats allotted proportionally based on voter registration.[2] The Senate had 30 seats up for elections, with two from each county.

George Weah

Prior to the election, former football star George Weah was considered by many to be the favorite, due at least partially to widespread dissatisfaction with Liberia's politicians. Weah, who had been the subject of a petition published in September 2004 urging him to run,[3] announced his candidacy in mid-November 2004 and received a hero's welcome when he arrived in Monrovia later in the month.[4] Weah won the first round of voting but lost in the November 8, 2005 run-off. He initially filed formal fraud charges, but subsequently dropped his allegations, citing the interests of peace.

Excluded candidates

The chairman of the transitional government, Gyude Bryant, and other members of the transitional government did not run, according to the terms of the peace deal.

On August 13, the election commission published a list of 22 presidential candidates who were cleared to run; six candidates were rejected, but Weah was cleared to stand despite complaints that he had adopted French citizenship. The Senate seats were contested by 206 candidates and the seats in the lower house were contested by 503 candidates. Campaigning for the elections began on August 15.

In late September, the Supreme Court ruled that two excluded presidential candidates, Marcus Jones and Cornelius Hunter, and an excluded legislative candidate could register to run; this ruling created the possibility that the elections would have to be postponed in order to reprint ballot papers. However, these candidates later withdrew their bids, so the elections went ahead on schedule on October 11.[5]

Presidential candidates

Results

First round presidential map showing the winners of each county
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Presidential elections

Voting took place in two rounds 11 October and 8 November. Twenty-two people contested the presidential race in the first round. George Weah, former soccer star and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former World Bank employee and finance minister finished first and second, respectively and advanced to the second round run-off, which Johnson-Sirleaf won 59%-41%, according to the National Electoral Commission.

Weah claimed election fraud, stating elections officials were stuffing ballot boxes in Johnson-Sirleaf's favor. Most elections observers, including those from the United Nations, the European Union and the Economic Community of West African States, say that the election was clean and transparent. The Carter Center observed "minor irregularities" but no major problems. Johnson-Sirleaf reminded the press that Weah has 72 hours to bring evidence of wrongdoing to her campaign according to Liberian law, calling the accusations "lies" and stating that Weah's supporters "just don't want a woman to be President in Africa."

On December 22, 2005, Weah withdrew his protests, and in January Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became the first democratically elected female Head of State in the history of the African Continent, and the first native female African Head of State since Empress Zauditu, who ruled Ethiopia from 1916 to 1930 and not including Queen Elizabeth II who reigned over many Commonwealth countries upon their independence and still reigns as Queen of the United Kingdom over the Atlantic African Islands and British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha .

 Summary of the 11 October and 8 November 2005 Liberian presidential election results
Candidate Party 1st round 2nd round
Votes % Votes %
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Unity Party 192,326 19.8% 478,526 59.4%
George Weah Congress for Democratic Change 275,265 28.3% 327,046 40.6%
Charles Brumskine Liberty Party 135,093 13.9%  
Winston Tubman National Democratic Party of Liberia 89,623 9.2%
Varney Sherman Coalition for the Transformation of Liberia 76,403 7.8%
Roland Massaquoi National Patriotic Party 40,361 4.1%
Joseph Korto Liberia Equal Rights Party 31,814 3.3%
Alhaji G.V. Kromah All Liberia Coalition Party 27,141 2.8%
Togba-Nah Tipoteh Alliance for Peace and Democracy 22,766 2.3%
William V.S. Tubman, Jr. Reformed United Liberia Party 15,115 1.6%
John Morlu United Democratic Alliance 12,068 1.2%
Nathaniel Barnes Liberian Destiny Party 9,325 1.0%
Margaret Tor-Thompson Freedom Alliance Party of Liberia 8,418 0.9%
Joseph Woah-Tee Labor Party of Liberia 5,948 0.6%
Sekou Conneh Progressive Democratic Party 5,499 0.6%
David Farhat Free Democratic Party 4,497 0.5%
George Klay Kieh New Deal Movement 4,476 0.5%
Armah Jallah National Party of Liberia 3,837 0.4%
Robert Kpoto Union of Liberian Democrats 3,825 0.4%
George Kiadii National Vision Party of Liberia 3,646 0.4%
Samuel Raymond Divine Independent 3,188 0.3%
Alfred Reeves National Reformation Party 3,156 0.3%
Invalid or blank votes 38,883 3.8% 20,144 2.4%
Totals 1,012,673 100% 825,716 100%

House elections

 Summary of the 11 October 2005 House of Representatives of Liberia election results
Political Party
Candidates
Number of Votes
% of Votes
Number of Seats
% of Seats
Congress for Democratic Change 58 157,753 15.97% 15 23.44%
Liberty Party 62 125,469 12.70% 9 14.06%
Coalition for the Transformation of Liberia 61 137,897 13.97% 8 12.50%
Unity Party 58 123,373 12.49% 8 12.50%
Alliance for Peace and Democracy 24 38,285 3.86% 5 7.81%
National Patriotic Party 50 78,751 7.97% 4 6.25%
New Deal Movement 21 35,721 3.62% 3 4.69%
All Liberia Coalition Party 13 19,471 1.97% 2 3.13%
National Democratic Party of Liberia 28 29,402 2.98% 1 1.56%
National Reformation Party 24 22,542 2.28% 1 1.56%
United Democratic Alliance 9 14,078 1.43% 1 1.56%
Free Democratic Party 12 19,326 1.96% 0 0
Progressive Democratic Party 12 11,997 1.21% 0 0
Freedom Alliance Party of Liberia 16 11,126 1.13% 0 0
Union of Liberian Democrats 9 10,089 1.02% 0 0
Labor Party of Liberia 9 7,811 0.79% 0 0
Liberia Equal Rights Party 3 7,256 0.73% 0 0
Reformed United Liberia Party 8 6,252 0.63% 0 0
Liberian Destiny Party 8 5,493 0.60% 0 0
National Vision Party of Liberia 2 3,443 0.35% 0 0
National Party of Liberia 1 1,532 0.16% 0 0
Independents 25 65,073 6.59% 7 10.94%
Invalid or blank votes - 52,550 5.32% - -
Totals 513 987,911 100% 64 100%

Senate elections

As no Senate existed prior to the elections, each voter was eligible to cast two ballots for different candidates. The two candidates with the highest number of votes in each county were elected. The candidate with the highest share of votes became the senior senator for the county, elected to a nine-year term. The candidate with the second-highest share became the junior senator, elected to a six-year term. This method was chosen in order to reintroduce a staggered electoral system.

 Summary of the 11 October 2005 Senate of Liberia election results
Political Party
Candidates
Number of Votes
% of Votes
Number of Seats
% of Seats
Coalition for the Transformation of Liberia 29 232,636 13.51% 7 23.33%
Unity Party 27 222,705 12.93% 4 13.33%
Congress for Democratic Change 25 252,677 15.97% 3 10.00%
Liberty Party 29 213,234 12.38% 3 10.00%
National Patriotic Party 20 178,259 10.35% 3 10.00%
Alliance for Peace and Democracy 13 119,091 6.92% 3 10.00%
National Democratic Party of Liberia 16 60,668 3.52% 2 6.67%
All Liberia Coalition Party 3 28,385 1.65% 1 3.33%
National Reformation Party 4 12,037 0.70% 1 3.33%
Progressive Democratic Party 5 17,262 1.00% 0 0%
Reformed United Liberia Party 4 13,293 0.77% 0 0%
Freedom Alliance Party of Liberia 5 13,050 0.76% 0 0%
United Democratic Alliance 4 11,265 0.65% 0 0%
Union of Liberian Democrats 1 5,503 0.32% 0 0%
New Deal Movement 3 4,264 0.25% 0 0%
Liberian Destiny Party 3 3,431 0.20% 0 0%
Labor Party of Liberia 1 1,645 0.10% 0 0%
Independents 13 301,729 17.52% 3 10.00%
Invalid or blank votes - 31,206 1.81% - -
Totals 205 1,722,108 100.00% 30 100%

References

  1. "Liberia to hold elections October 11", Agence France-Presse (AFP), February 7, 2005.
  2. "Liberia electoral reform bill signed into law", AFP, December 17, 2004.
  3. "Football legend George Weah urged to stand for Liberian presidency", AFP, October 3, 2004.
  4. Terence Sesay, "Presidential candidate Weah takes Monrovia by storm", Deutsche Presse-Agentur, November 24, 2004.
  5. "Two Liberian candidates stand down to prevent delay of election", Deutsche Presse-Agentur, October 6, 2005.

External links

Wikinews has related news: Liberians choose their president

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