Liberia

The Carter Center currently works to strengthen the rule of law in Liberia, partnering with grassroots civil society organizations to educate citizens and increase access to justice in the underserved rural communities. In 2005, the Center observed Liberia's national elections and the Carter Centre U.K. implemented an electoral assistance program.

Waging Peace

The Carter Center's interest in Liberia began in 1991, when all sides of the country's civil war invited the Center to assist in the peace process. President Carter made numerous trips to the region, meeting with interim government and faction leaders. Since then, the Center has undertaken a number of projects in human rights, capacity building for nongovernmental organizations, and supporting electoral processes.

Mediating Conflict

The Carter Center has worked to foster peace and democracy in Liberia since March 1991. The Center's Monrovia office opened in 1992, closed during full-scale fighting in 1996, and reopened to observe the 1997 presidential election. During this time, President Carter and CRP staff worked to support regional mediators to reach various peace agreements, the final one of which led to the special elections of 1997. At the same time, working with Liberian partners and the Institute for Multitrack Diplomacy, the Center also established LIPCORE, a group of potential peacemakers representing many different warring factions. In 1998, the Center began a multifaceted democracy and governance program that:

• Established an independent printing press, owned and operated cooperatively by Liberia's media houses under the nonprofit corporation, Free Press Inc.
• Developed training programs for Liberian journalists
• Strengthened and expanded the Justice and Peace Commission's rural offices to train human rights monitors and paralegals
• Provided financial and technical support for Liberian human rights nongovernmental organizations and
• Monitored the political and human rights situation in Liberia.

In September 2000, widespread human rights abuses led the Center to close its Monrovia office. At the time, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter wrote in a letter to President Charles Ghankay Taylor that the government of Liberia's actions since 1997 had created an environment that thwarted efforts to strengthen the new democracy and advance human rights. Specifically, he noted that: "Liberia is a country where reports of serious human rights abuses are common; where journalists, human rights organizations, and political activists work in an atmosphere of fear and intimidation; and where there is little political space for meaningful democratic debate."

After the Monrovia office closed, President Carter and the Center continued to speak out on human rights abuses in Liberia. In a December 2000 press release, The Carter Center condemned the ransacking of the offices of the Center for Democratic Empowerment, a leading Liberian nongovernmental organization, and the brutal beatings of both its executive director and chairman. The Carter Center had worked with CEDE on fostering better relationships between the Liberian media and the public and on strategies to strengthen the Liberian economy.

In 2002, CRP met with the Liberian government and opposition leaders to discuss possible moves toward peace talks under the auspices of the Economic Community of West African States in Abuja, Nigeria. While those talks were not immediately fruitful, the departure of Charles Taylor has led to new elections and the ascension to power of Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who was one of the 2002 attendees.

Monitoring Elections

After three pre-electoral assessment missions in 1997, The Carter Center sent a 40-person delegation led by President Carter, former Benin President Nicephore Soglo, and former U.S. Senator Paul Simon to observe the July 1997 presidential election. The delegation observed voting and counting in more than 10 percent of Liberia's 1,980 polling sites.

The delegation concluded that the process went smoothly on election day, particularly noting the large number of Liberians who voted peacefully. Virtually all of the sites they visited had adequate materials, and the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group -- the West African peacekeeping group led by Nigerians -- provided good security. Problems reported by delegation members included lack of published registration lists at the time of the election and an unevenness of candidates' access to campaign resources. Despite these deficiencies, the delegation concluded that voters seemed to know where to register and vote, and candidates were able to move about the country informing the public about their platforms.

Charles Taylor won the race with 75 percent of the vote. His closest challenger, former U.N. official Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, won 9.5 percent. Taylor's government was not able to uphold its promise of improved human rights and governance, and the country was plunged back into civil war within a few years.

Chaos continued in Liberia until August 2003, when a comprehensive peace agreement ended 14 years of civil war. This prompted the resignation of President Taylor, who was exiled to Nigeria. The National Transitional Government of Liberia - composed of rebel, government, and civil society groups - assumed control in October 2003, with Gyude Bryant given a two-year mandate to oversee efforts to rebuild Liberia and to steer the country toward elections.

Almost two years after the signing of a comprehensive peace agreement, the end of fighting throughout most of Liberia represented a remarkable change in the lives of the country's population and a significant achievement for Liberians and the international community. Despite this progress, the country still faced numerous challenges leading up to the October 2005 elections. Past ethnic and regional tensions and the large numbers of internally displaced people and refugees in the region were just a few of the factors that complicated the voting process.

Notwithstanding this challenging context and painful history, Liberians across the country were eager to participate in the 2005 elections. A total of 22 political parties contested the October presidential and legislative elections with no fewer than 762 candidates running for office. More than 1.3 million people registered to vote, which was estimated to be 90 percent of the eligible population.

To ensure the success of these historic elections, The Carter Centre UK and its London-based partner, Electoral Reform International Services, partnered to implement a European Commission Bilateral Elections Programme of voter education initiatives, domestic election-monitor training, and capacity building of political parties. The project helped Liberian voters channel their aspirations for the future into participation in this important transitional political process. It also contributed to long-term good governance, enhanced public understanding of the democratic process and the value of participating in it, increased public confidence and civil society organizations' capacity to monitor and report on democratic processes, and strengthened capacity of political parties and the National Election Commission to engage in those processes.

The program had a fully staffed office in Monrovia and three resource centers in rural counties. Two democracy resource officers were stationed in each center and worked closely with local representatives of the NEC, civil society organizations, and political parties. Some of their activities included organizing civic and voter education forums, supporting civil society organizations for the development of voter education activities and for training and deployment as election monitors, facilitating dialogue with NEC officials and political party representatives, and supporting political parties and emerging local radio stations to ensure broad outreach of voter education and political party messages.

The Carter Center also deployed a small team of long-term international observers who reported to Liberian stakeholders and the international community on electoral developments and the political and human rights environment in the country before and after the polls. A larger short-term delegation led by President Carter and co-organized with the National Democratic Institute observed the polling on Oct. 11, 2005.

Approximately 72 percent of registered voters came to the polls on Oct. 11. Since no presidential candidate garnered a majority (50 percent + 1 vote), a runoff election was scheduled for Nov. 8, 2005, between the two top vote-getters, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and George Manneh Weah. During the period before the runoff, Carter Center long-term observers and staff traveled in teams throughout the country to observe campaigning. Observers visited towns across 10 counties, including the major population centers in each area.

The Carter Center and the National Democratic Institute again partnered to send a 28-member international observer delegation to observe the presidential runoff election. The delegation was co-led by Dr. Alexander Ekwueme, former vice president of Nigeria; Dr. David Carroll, director of the Democracy Program at The Carter Center; and Dr. Christopher Fomunyoh, NDI's senior associate for Africa.

The delegation's assessment of the runoff election was largely positive, with only a few problems and irregularities noted. Shortly after the polls closed, however, Weah's CDC party filed a complaint with the NEC alleging widespread electoral fraud. The Carter Center was the only organization to stay in country through the complaints process, and Center staff attended all of the CDC and other hearings. The complaint was eventually dismissed after the NEC determined that evidence presented by the CDC did not constitute massive fraud.

On Nov. 23, the NEC officially announced that Sirleaf had received 59.6 percent of the votes, making her the next president of Liberia. Voter turnout for the runoff election was estimated at 61 percent of registered voters.

Building Hope

The Carter Center remains engaged in Liberia through long-term projects aimed to  help the Ministry of Justice strengthen  the  rule of law , particularly in rural areas.  Three activities include providing technical assistance and support to the Ministry of Justice, working to promote rural sensitization, and working to support discussion on the differences between statutory law and traditional practices.  Regarding sensitization, the  Center has established a support program to assist the community-based organizations  conduct  sensitization, dialogue, and education on issues related to the rule of law in Liberia, particularly in rural areas. The project  is working with grass roots groups in target communities including women's groups, community development organizations, cultural organizations, religious groups, human rights groups, and other organizations involved in community relations, reconciliation projects, and cultural engagement. 
 
The Center's work  hopes to increase public confidence in the development of a functional rural judicial sector that serves local needs;  increase   people's knowledge on  their rights and responsibilities through public education and awareness, including women's rights and basic human rights;  and develop awareness of the local judicial mechanisms and conditions, including statutory, traditional, and informal processes .



Updated March 2007

Election Reports

 
2005 Liberian National Elections: Carter Center/NDI Interim Postelection Statement
The Nov. 10 preliminary statement issued by the National Democratic Institute /Carter Center international observer delegation provided a generally positive overall assessment of the process up to that point. 
 

Liberian Presidential Runoff Election: Preliminary Statement of the NDI/Carter Center International Observer Delegation, Nov. 10, 2005 (PDF)
This statement is offered by the 28-member multinational delegation jointly organized by NDI and The Carter Center. The delegation was co-led by His Excellency Dr. Alex Ekwueme, former vice president of the Republic of Nigeria; Dr. Christopher Fomunyoh, NDI's senior associate for Africa; and Dr. David Carroll, director of the Democracy Program at The Carter Center. The delegation included elected officials, electoral and human rights experts, regional specialists, and political and civic leaders from Africa, Europe, and North America. 
  

Preliminary Statement of the NDI/Carter Center International Observer Delegation to the 2005 Liberia Elections, Oct. 13, 2005 (PDF)
This statement is offered by the 40-member multinational delegation jointly organized by NDI and The Carter Center. The delegation was co-led by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former President of Benin Nicéphore Soglo. The delegation included elected officials, electoral and human rights experts, regional specialists, and political and civic leaders from 14 countries in Africa, Europe, and North America.
  

Arrival Statement by the National Democratic Institute/Carter Center Observer Delegation to the 2005 Liberia Elections, Oct. 6, 2005
The National Democratic Institute and The Carter Center today announced the arrival of their delegation to observe the Oct. 11 presidential and legislative elections in Liberia. The 38-member multinational delegation is co-led by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former President of Benin Nicephore Soglo. The delegation will include elected officials, electoral and human rights experts, regional specialists, and political and civic leaders from 13 countries in North America, Europe, and Africa. 
 
Liberia Elections: Read Pre-election Statement, Election Watch Reports
A Carter Center staff team conducted an assessment Aug. 11-17, 2005, of electoral conditions at the start of the campaign for Liberia's Oct. 11 elections. The team found that despite enormous logistical challenges and post-conflict conditions, electoral preparedness appears good at this juncture, and the prospects for a competitive election seem high. 
  

Statement of the NDI/Carter Center Pre-election Delegation to Liberia's 2005 Elections
This statement is offered by an international pre-election delegation to Liberia, organized jointly by the National Democratic Institute and The Carter Center. From Sep. 1- 9, 2005, the delegation assessed the political environment in Liberia in advance of the Oct.11 presidential and legislative elections. The delegation met with a broad spectrum of Liberian political and civic leaders, government officials, electoral authorities, and representatives of the international community in Monrovia. In addition, the delegation traveled outside Monrovia to Bomi, Bong, and Grand Bassa counties, and was informed by in-country staff members and long-term observers who have visited all 15 counties in recent months. 
  

First Carter Center Pre-Election Report on Liberia National Elections (PDF), October 2005, Aug. 30, 2005 (PDF)
Note: This report is supplementary to the Carter Center's "Pre-election Statement on the 2005 Liberia National Elections," released on Aug. 28, 2005. It is intended to be read together with the statement, providing additional observations and details. In support of Liberia's transition from more than two decades of recurring civil conflict to reconciliation and reconstruction, The Carter Center is pleased to contribute to the Oct. 11, 2005, presidential and legislative elections as international observers. These elections are an essential element in the process toward sustainable peace, as expressed in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed in Accra in August 2003.

Final Report: Observing the 1997 Liberia Special Elections (PDF), released Oct. 1, 1997 (PDF)
For the July 19 elections, The Carter Center organized a 40-member team of international election monitors. President Carter, former President Nicephore Soglo of Benin, and former U.S. Sen. Paul Simon co-led the mission.