President of Liberia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids President of the Republic of Liberia
Presidential standard
Incumbent Joseph Boakai since January 22, 2024
Style	Mr. President (Informal) His Excellency (Formal)
Residence	Executive Mansion
Seat	Monrovia
Term length	Six years, renewable once
Constituting instrument	1847 Constitution of Liberia
Formation	July 26, 1847
First holder	Joseph Jenkins Roberts
Deputy	Vice President of Liberia
Salary	US$90,000 annually

The president of the Republic of Liberia is the top leader of Liberia. This person is both the head of state (the country's main representative) and the head of government (the person in charge of running the country). The president leads the executive branch of government. They are also the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Liberia, meaning they are in charge of the military.

Before Liberia became independent in 1847, a governor led the country. This governor was chosen by the American Colonization Society. When Liberia wrote its first Constitution in 1847, the governor's powers were given to the new president. This new role was very similar to the U.S. presidency.

For many years, from 1847 to 1980, only people called Americo-Liberians could be president. These were the original American settlers and their families. At first, there were two main political parties: the Republican Party and the True Whig Party. But in 1878, the True Whig Party took over completely. They ruled Liberia for 102 years.

In 1980, a group of army soldiers led by Samuel Doe took control of the government. This event ended the True Whig Party's long rule. The presidency was empty until Samuel Doe was elected in 1985. After he was overthrown and killed in 1990, the presidency was again empty for seven years during the First Liberian Civil War. It was also empty for two more years after the Second Liberian Civil War ended in 2003.

Today, under the 1986 Constitution, Liberians vote directly for their president. A president serves for six years and can be re-elected once. So far, 25 people have been president of Liberia. One famous president was Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who was the first elected female head of state in all of Africa. On January 22, 2024, Joseph Boakai became the twenty-sixth and current president of Liberia.

History of Liberia's Presidents

In 1838, the Commonwealth of Liberia was formed. A governor, chosen by the American Colonization Society, held the main power. The first governor was Thomas Buchanan, who served until 1841. After him came Joseph Jenkins Roberts, the first person of African descent to be governor.

When Liberia became independent in 1847, Roberts was elected as the first president. The 1847 Constitution said that only people who owned land could vote. This meant that only Americo-Liberians could be president until 1980. In 1980, a military takeover led by Samuel Doe changed this. Doe, who was from the Krahn ethnic group, overthrew and killed President William Tolbert.

The presidency was empty from 1980 to 1986. During this time, Samuel Doe led the country as head of the People's Redemption Council. Doe was later elected president in 1985. This made him the first president who was not part of the Americo-Liberian group. In 1990, Doe was overthrown and killed when the First Liberian Civil War began. The presidency remained empty during this war.

After the 1997 election, Charles Taylor became president. He resigned on August 11, 2003, as part of a peace agreement to end the Second Liberian Civil War. His successor, Moses Blah, handed over power to Gyude Bryant in October 2003. The presidency officially returned on January 16, 2006. This was after Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was elected in 2005. She became the first female president.

In 2017, George Weah was elected as the 25th president. Before he took office, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf created a special team. This team helped make sure the transfer of power from one democratically elected president to another was smooth. This was important because Liberia had not seen such a peaceful transfer in over 70 years.

What the President Does

The Liberian president's job is much like the presidency of the United States.

Leading the Country

The 1986 Constitution gives the president many powers. The president chooses all cabinet ministers, judges, and ambassadors. They also appoint sheriffs, county officials, and military officers. These choices must be approved by the Senate. The president can also remove these officials from their jobs.

The president can also grant pardons, which means forgiving someone for a crime. They can also change or cancel sentences and fines. The president handles all foreign policy matters. However, any treaties or international agreements must be approved by both parts of the Legislature. The president is also the commander-in-chief of Liberia's military.

The Constitution also allows the president to declare a state of emergency. This can happen during a war or civil unrest. During an emergency, the president can temporarily stop some civil liberties. However, the right to habeas corpus (the right to be brought before a judge) cannot be stopped. Within seven days, the president must tell the Legislature why the emergency was declared. Both houses must then approve it with a two-thirds vote. If they don't, the president must end the state of emergency.

Working with Laws

The president must sign all laws passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate. The president can choose to reject a law, which is called a veto. But the Legislature can overrule this veto with a two-thirds vote in both houses. The president can also use a pocket veto. This happens if the president doesn't sign a bill and the Legislature goes on break before the deadline to sign it.

The president can make a legislative session longer if needed. They can also call a special meeting of the Legislature if it's important for the country. Every year, the president must give a report to the Legislature about the state of the country.

Who Can Be President?

To become president of Liberia, a person must meet certain requirements:

• They must be a natural-born citizen of Liberia. The Constitution says that only people who are "Negroes or of Negro descent" can be citizens.
• They must be at least 35 years old.
• They must own land worth at least $25,000.
• They must have lived in Liberia for at least ten years.

Also, the president and vice president cannot be from the same county.

Term Length and Elections

Under the first 1847 Constitution, the president served for two years. This was changed to four years in 1907. Later, a new president would serve for eight years, and could be re-elected for unlimited four-year terms. During President William Tolbert's time, the Constitution was changed again. It limited the president to just one eight-year term.

Today, the president is elected by popular vote for a six-year term. They can serve a maximum of two terms. The 1986 Constitution uses a two-round system for elections. If no candidate wins more than half the votes in the first round, the top two candidates have a second vote. Each presidential term starts and ends at noon on the third Monday in January after the election. When they begin their term, each president takes an oath. They promise to protect the Constitution and follow the laws. The chief justice of Liberia gives this oath in front of both houses of the Legislature.

President's Home

The Executive Mansion is the official home and office of the president. In 2006, a fire damaged parts of the building. Because of this, the president's office moved to the nearby Foreign Ministry building. The Executive Mansion was reopened on February 14, 2022.

List of Presidents

Political parties

     Republican Party      True Whig Party      National Democratic Party      Liberian People's Party      National Patriotic Party      Liberian Action Party      Unity Party      Congress for Democratic Change

Other affiliations

     Military      Independent

Symbols

Died in office

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party	Elected	Vice President
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Joseph Jenkins Roberts (1809–1876)	January 3, 1848	January 7, 1856	8 years, 4 days	Independent	1847		Nathaniel Brander
							1849		Anthony D. Williams
							1851
							1853		Stephen Allen Benson
2		Stephen Allen Benson (1816–1865)	January 7, 1856	January 4, 1864	7 years, 362 days	Independent	1855		Beverly Page Yates
							1857
							1859		Daniel Bashiel Warner
							1861
3		Daniel Bashiel Warner (1815–1880)	January 4, 1864	January 6, 1868	4 years, 2 days	Republican Party	1863		James M. Priest
							1865
4		James Spriggs Payne (1819–1882)	January 6, 1868	January 3, 1870	1 year, 362 days	Republican Party	1867		Joseph Gibson
5		Edward James Roye (1815–1872)	January 3, 1870	October 26, 1871 (Deposed)	1 year, 296 days	True Whig Party	1869		James Skivring Smith
—		Chief Executive Committee Members: Reginald A. Sherman, Charles Benedict Dunbar, Amos Herring October 26, 1871 – November 4, 1871			9 days		Vacant (October 26, 1871 – January 1, 1872)
6		James Skivring Smith (1825–1892)	November 4, 1871	January 1, 1872	58 days	True Whig Party			—
7		Joseph Jenkins Roberts (1809–1876)	January 1, 1872	January 3, 1876	4 years, 2 days	Republican Party	1871		Anthony W. Gardiner
							1873
8		James Spriggs Payne (1819–1882)	January 3, 1876	January 7, 1878	2 years, 4 days	Republican Party	1875		Charles Harmon
9		Anthony W. Gardiner (1820–1885)	January 7, 1878	January 20, 1883 (Resigned)	5 years, 13 days	True Whig Party	1877		Alfred Francis Russell
							1879
							1881
10		Alfred Francis Russell (1817–1884)	January 20, 1883	January 7, 1884	352 days	True Whig Party		Vacant (January 20, 1883 – January 7, 1884)
11		Hilary R. W. Johnson (1837–1901)	January 7, 1884	January 4, 1892	7 years, 362 days	True Whig Party	1883		James Thompson
							1885
							1887
							1889
12		Joseph James Cheeseman (1843–1896)	January 4, 1892	November 12, 1896	4 years, 313 days	True Whig Party	1891		William D. Coleman
							1893
							1895
13		William D. Coleman (1842–1908)	November 12, 1896	December 11, 1900	4 years, 29 days	True Whig Party		Vacant (November 12, 1896 – January 3, 1898)
							1897		Joseph J. Ross
							1899
								Vacant (October 24, 1899 – January 3, 1902)
14		Garretson W. Gibson (1832–1910)	December 11, 1900	January 4, 1904	3 years, 24 days	True Whig Party
							1901		Joseph D. Summerville
15		Arthur Barclay (1854–1938)	January 4, 1904	January 1, 1912	7 years, 362 days	True Whig Party	1903
								Vacant (July 27, 1905 – January 1, 1906)
							1905		J. J. Dossen
							1907
16		Daniel Edward Howard (1861–1935)	January 1, 1912	January 5, 1920	8 years, 4 days	True Whig Party	1911		Samuel George Harmon
							1915
17		Charles D. B. King (1875–1961)	January 5, 1920	December 3, 1930 (Resigned)	10 years, 332 days	True Whig Party	1919		Samuel Alfred Ross
							1923		Henry Too Wesley
							1927		Allen Yancy
18		Edwin Barclay (1882–1955)	December 3, 1930	January 3, 1944	13 years, 31 days	True Whig Party			James Skivring Smith Jr.
							1931
							1939
19		William Tubman (1895–1971)	January 3, 1944	July 23, 1971	27 years, 201 days	True Whig Party	1943		Clarence Lorenzo Simpson
							1951		William Tolbert
							1955
							1959
							1963
							1967
							1971
20		William Tolbert (1913–1980)	July 23, 1971	April 12, 1980 (Assassinated)	8 years, 264 days	True Whig Party		Vacant (July 23, 1971 – April 1972)
									James Edward Greene
							1975
								Vacant (July 22, 1977 – October 31, 1977)
									Bennie Dee Warner
—		Samuel Doe (1951–1990)	Chairman of the People's Redemption Council April 12, 1980 – January 6, 1986		10 years, 150 days	Military / National Democratic Party
21			January 6, 1986	September 9, 1990 (Assassinated)			1985		Harry Moniba
—		Amos Sawyer (1945–2022)	President of the Interim Government of National Unity September 9, 1990 – March 7, 1994		3 years, 179 days	Liberian People's Party
—		David D. Kpormakpor (1935–2010)	Chairman of the Council of State March 7, 1994 – September 1, 1995		1 year, 178 days	Independent
—		Wilton G. S. Sankawulo (1937–2009)	Chairman of the Council of State September 1, 1995 – September 3, 1996		1 year, 2 days	Independent
—		Ruth Perry (1939–2017)	Chairman of the Council of State September 3, 1996 – August 2, 1997		333 days	Independent
22		Charles Taylor (born 1948)	August 2, 1997	August 11, 2003 (Resigned)	6 years, 9 days	National Patriotic Party	1997		Enoch Dogolea
								Vacant (June 24, 2000 – July 24, 2000)
									Moses Blah
23		Moses Blah (1947–2013)	August 11, 2003	October 14, 2003 (Resigned)	64 days	National Patriotic Party		Vacant (August 11, 2003 – October 14, 2003)
—		Gyude Bryant (1949–2014)	Chairman of the Transitional Government October 14, 2003 – January 16, 2006		2 years, 94 days	Liberian Action Party
24		Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (born 1938)	January 16, 2006	January 22, 2018	12 years, 6 days	Unity Party	2005		Joseph Boakai
							2011
25		George Weah (born 1966)	January 22, 2018	January 22, 2024	6 years	Congress for Democratic Change	2017		Jewel Taylor
26		Joseph Boakai (born 1944)	January 22, 2024	Incumbent	1 year, 181 days	Unity Party	2023		Jeremiah Koung

Timeline of Presidents

More Information

• Lists of office-holders
• List of current heads of state and government
• Agents and governors of Liberia