Once an enemy of the state charged with
treason, the election of Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf
in Liberia ushered in a new era of
hope to the war-torn region. She became
Africa's first female head of state.
Johnson-Sirleaf was inaugurated on January 16, 2006,
outside the capitol building. Among those
in attendance were Nigerian President
Olusegun Obasanjo, Laura Bush and Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice.
The world has waited for the ushering
in of a balanced leader with the charisma
and tenacity to set Liberia on a new
path. Africa and the rest of the world
are cautiously optimistic that Johnson-Sirleaf
will bring a renaissance of peace and
dignity to Liberia.
President
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, a Harvard-educated
economist, has been a high profile figure
in Liberian politics since the early
1970s when she served as finance minister.
In 1980, she was one of a few officials
to avoid death when a firing squad killed
13 Liberian cabinet ministers.
She initially supported Charles Taylor
during his rebellion, but she quickly
began to speak out against him. In 1985,
while she was running for Senate, Taylor's
government sentenced her to 10 years
in prison for treason. After serving
a short term in jail, she was released
and sent into exile.
While Liberia was absorbed in a bloody
civil war from 1989-96, Johnson-Sirleaf
worked as an economist for Citibank and
the World Bank, and as the director of
a U.N. development agency in Africa.
In 1996, the arrival of African peacekeeping
forces brought an end to the Liberian
civil war. Johnson-Sirleaf returned to
Liberia to run for president under the
banner of the Unity Party, challenging
Taylor in new presidential elections.
Taylor won the election with 75 percent
of the vote. International inspectors
determined that, while the vote was fair,
most voters who selected Taylor did so
because they believed he would return
the country to war if defeated. Johnson-Sirleaf
came in second with 10 percent of the
vote.
Johnson-Sirleaf, sometimes called the "Iron
Lady" for her unwavering grit and
determination, served as the standard
bearer for the opposition Unity Party
after its 1997 loss.
In 1999, the rebel group Liberians United
for Reconciliation and Democracy emerged
in northern Liberia, sparking a second
civil war. In 2003, a second rebel group
emerged in the south of the country,
further exacerbating the conflict.
When the combined rebel offensives effectively
shut down the country, global attention
began to focus on Liberia. Nigerian peacekeepers
operating under the United Nations and
backed by an offshore U.S. Marine expeditionary
force secured the country in the summer
of 2003.
On Aug. 11, 2003, Taylor fled to exile
in Nigeria. In his absence, preparations
began for democratic elections to decide
the political future of the West African
state. A Commission on Good Governance
was chartered to advise the transitional
government and prepare the country for
the 2005 elections. Johnson-Sirleaf served
as chairwoman, resigning in 2005 to campaign
for president once again under the banner
of the Unity Party.
None of the 22 candidates who ran for
president in Liberia's Oct. 11 election
received the required 50 percent of the
vote. As a result, a runoff was declared
between the top two candidates: Johnson-Sirleaf
and soccer star George Weah.
Johnson-Sirleaf,
a grandmother, pledged to bring the "motherly sensitivity
and emotion to the presidency" needed
to heal the deep problems that plague
Liberia after so years of violence and
warfare.
She
is said to favor "a government
of inclusion," preferring to bring
groups that oppose her party into the
government, rather than oppressing them
as past governments have done.
(Compiled by David S. Belt for Thirteen’s Online NewsHour)
