President of Liberia

President of the Republic of Liberia
Presidential Standard
Incumbent Ellen Johnson Sirleaf since January 16, 2006
Style	Madam President (Informal) Her Excellency (Formal)
Residence	Executive Mansion
Term length	Six years, renewable once
Inaugural holder	Joseph Jenkins Roberts January 3, 1848
Formation	Constitution of Liberia July 26, 1847
Salary	US$90,000 annually
Website	emansion.gov.lr/

The President of the Republic of Liberia is the head of state and government of Liberia. 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, the original American settlers of Liberia and their descendants. The original two-party system, with the Republican Party and the True Whig Party, ended in 1878, when the election of Anthony W. Gardiner marked the beginning of 102 years of single-party rule by the True Whigs. Following a coup d'état by disgruntled army officers led by Samuel Doe in 1980, the presidency was vacated until the election of Doe in the 1985 general election. After the overthrow of Doe 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, 22 individuals have served as president. On January 16, 2006, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was sworn in as the twenty-fourth and current president, making her the first elected female president in Africa.

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 black governor of Liberia.

Upon independence in 1847, Roberts was elected as the first president of Liberia. The 1847 Constitution denied suffrage to the indigenous population by requiring voters to own real estate. As a result, the presidency was exclusively held by Americo-Liberians until 1980, when a military coup led by Samuel Doe, an ethnic Krahn, overthrew and assassinated 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 executed in 1990 following the commencement of the 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.

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 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. 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 during times of war or civil unrest and suspend civil liberties during the emergency as necessary, with the exception of habeas corpus. 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 he or she deems it necessary in 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;
• 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 reside in the same county as the Vice President of Liberia.

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.^[1] 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 R. Tolbert, Jr., 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.^[2]

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, 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 on the first January 16 after presidential elections are held. 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 in front of a joint session of the Legislature.

Residence

Old Executive Mansion in Monrovia, 1920

Executive Mansion in Monrovia, 2009

The President of Liberia resides and works out of the Executive Mansion in the capital of Monrovia.^[3][4] Located across the street from the Capitol Building in the Capitol Hill district, the current building was constructed during the presidency of William Tubman.^[4]

Presidents

Parties

      Independent       Republican Party       True Whig Party       National Democratic Party       National Patriotic Party       Unity Party

No.	President (Birth–Death)		Took office	Left office	Party	Term (Election)	Vice President
1		Joseph Jenkins Roberts (1809–1876)	January 3, 1848	January 7, 1856	Independent	1. (1847)		Nathaniel Brander
						2. (1849)		Anthony D. Williams
						3. (1851)
						4. (1853)		Stephen Allen Benson
2		Stephen Allen Benson (1816–1865)	January 7, 1856	January 4, 1864	Independent	5. (1855)		Beverly Page Yates
						6. (1857)
						7. (1859)		Daniel Bashiel Warner
						8. (1861)
3		Daniel Bashiel Warner (1815–1880)	January 4, 1864	January 6, 1868	Republican Party	9. (1863)		James M. Priest
						10. (1865)
4		James Spriggs Payne (1819–1882)	January 6, 1868	January 3, 1870	Republican Party	11. (1867)		Joseph Gibson
5		Edward James Roye (1815–1872)	January 3, 1870	October 26, 1871	True Whig Party	12. (1869)		James Skivring Smith
6		James Skivring Smith (1825–1892)	October 26, 1871	January 1, 1872	True Whig Party		Vacant (October 26, 1871 - January 1, 1872)
7		Joseph Jenkins Roberts (1809–1876)	January 1, 1872	January 3, 1876	Republican Party	13. (1871)		Anthony W. Gardiner
						14. (1873)
8		James Spriggs Payne (1819–1882)	January 3, 1876	January 7, 1878	Republican Party	15. (1875)		Charles Harmon
9		Anthony W. Gardiner (1820–1885)	January 7, 1878	January 20, 1883	True Whig Party	16. (1877)		Alfred Francis Russell
						17. (1879)
						18. (1881)
10		Alfred Francis Russell (1817–1884)	January 20, 1883	January 7, 1884	True Whig Party		Vacant (January 20, 1883 - January 7, 1884)
11		Hilary R. W. Johnson (1837–1901)	January 7, 1884	January 4, 1892	True Whig Party	19. (1883)		James Thompson
						20. (1885)
						21. (1887)
						22. (1889)
12		Joseph James Cheeseman (1843–1896)	January 4, 1892	November 12, 1896	True Whig Party	23. (1891)		William D. Coleman
						24. (1893)
						25. (1895)
13		William D. Coleman (1842–1908)	November 12, 1896	December 11, 1900	True Whig Party		Vacant (November 12, 1896 - January 3, 1898)
						26. (1897)		Joseph J. Ross
						27. (1899)
							Vacant (October 24, 1899 - January 3, 1902)
14		Garretson W. Gibson (1832–1910)	December 11, 1900	January 4, 1904	True Whig Party
						28. (1901)		Joseph D. Summerville
15		Arthur Barclay (1854–1938)	January 4, 1904	January 1, 1912	True Whig Party	29. (1903)
							Vacant (July 27, 1905 - January 1, 1906)
						30. (1905)		J. J. Dossen
						31. (1907)
16		Daniel Edward Howard (1861–1935)	January 1, 1912	January 5, 1920	True Whig Party	32. (1911)		Samuel George Harmon
						33. (1915)
17		Charles D. B. King (1875–1961)	January 5, 1920	December 3, 1930	True Whig Party	34. (1919)		Samuel Alfred Ross
						35. (1923)		Henry Too Wesley
						36. (1927)		Allen Yancy
18		Edwin Barclay (1882–1955)	December 3, 1930	January 3, 1944	True Whig Party			James Skivring Smith, Jr.
						37. (1931)
						38. (1939)
19		William Tubman (1895–1971)	January 3, 1944	July 23, 1971	True Whig Party	39. (1943)		Clarence Lorenzo Simpson
						40. (1951)		William R. Tolbert, Jr.
						41. (1955)
						42. (1959)
						43. (1963)
						44. (1967)
20		William R. Tolbert, Jr. (1913–1980)	July 23, 1971	April 12, 1980	True Whig Party		Vacant (July 23, 1971 - April 1972)
						45. (1971)
								James Edward Greene
						46. (1975)
							Vacant (July 22, 1977 - October 31, 1977)
								Bennie Dee Warner
Vacant			April 12, 1980	January 6, 1986
21		Samuel Doe (1951–1990)	January 6, 1986	September 9, 1990	National Democratic Party	47. (1985)		Harry Moniba
Vacant			September 9, 1990	August 2, 1997
22		Charles Taylor (1948–)	August 2, 1997	August 11, 2003	National Patriotic Party	48. (1997)		Enoch Dogolea
							Vacant (June 24, 2000 - July 24, 2000)
								Moses Blah
23		Moses Blah (1947–2013)	August 11, 2003	October 14, 2003	National Patriotic Party		Vacant (August 11, 2003 - October 14, 2003)
Vacant			October 14, 2003	January 16, 2006
24		Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (1938–)	January 16, 2006	Incumbent	Unity Party	49. (2005)		Joseph Boakai
						50. (2011)

• Left office early:

^[A] Assassinated in a coup d'etat.

^[D] Died in office of natural causes.

^[R] Resigned.

Interim and non-presidential Heads of State

Parties

      Independent       National Democratic Party       Liberian People's Party       Liberian Action Party

No.	Head of State (Birth–Death)		Position	Took office	Left office	Party
—		Samuel Doe (1951–1990)	Chairman of the People's Redemption Council	April 12, 1980	January 6, 1986	Military / National Democratic Party
—		Dr. Amos Sawyer (1945–)	President of the Interim Government of National Unity	November 22, 1990	March 7, 1994	Liberian People's Party
1		David D. Kpormakpor (1935–2010)	Chairman of the Council of State	March 7, 1994	September 1, 1995	Independent
2		Wilton G. S. Sankawulo (1937–2009)	Chairman of the Council of State	September 1, 1995	September 3, 1996	Independent
3		Ruth Perry (1939–)	Chairwoman of the Council of State	September 3, 1996	August 2, 1997	Independent
—		Gyude Bryant (1949–2014)	Chairman of the National Transitional Government	October 14, 2003	January 16, 2006	Liberian Action Party

See also

• Vice President of Liberia

History:

• Agents and Governors of Liberia

Notes

1. Starr, Frederick (1913). Liberia: Description, History, Problems. Chicago. p. 256.
2. "Pres. Tolbert Says 'No' To Evil Tradition: Vows to Veto Any Amendment To Keep Him In Office". [Monrovia] Sunday Express 1976-03-21: 1/2.
3. Johnston, Sir Harry Hamilton; Otto Stapf (1906). Liberia 1. Dodd, Mead & Company. p. 222.
4. Massaquoi, Hans J. (October 1971). "Liberia: End of the Tubman Era". Ebony: 48.

References

• Enno Schulz, "Presidents of Liberia.