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	Constitution of Liberia (1986)
Formation	26 July 1847; 178 years ago (1847-07-26)
First holder	Joseph Jenkins Roberts
Deputy	Vice President of Liberia
Salary	US$90,000 annually

The president of the Republic of Liberia is the country's main leader. This person is both the head of state and the head of government. The president leads the executive branch and is the commander-in-chief of Liberia's military, the Armed Forces of Liberia.

Before Liberia became independent in 1847, a governor led the country. The American Colonization Society appointed this governor. The 1847 Constitution changed this. It gave the governor's powers to a president. This new role was much like the President of the United States.

From 1847 to 1980, only Americo-Liberians were presidents. These were the first American settlers and their families. The country first had two main political groups, the Republican Party and the True Whig Party. But in 1878, Anthony W. Gardiner was elected. This started 102 years where only the True Whig Party ruled.

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

The 1986 Constitution says the president is chosen by voters. They serve a six-year term and can be re-elected once. So far, 25 people have been president. This includes Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who was the first elected female head of state in Africa. On January 22, 2024, Joseph Boakai became the twenty-sixth and current president of Liberia.

History of Liberia's Presidents

After the Commonwealth of Liberia was set up in 1838, a governor held the main power. The American Colonization Society chose this governor. Thomas Buchanan was the first governor, serving from 1838 until he died in 1841. Joseph Jenkins Roberts took over from him. Roberts was 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 only allowed people who owned land to vote. This meant that only Americo-Liberians could be president until 1980. In 1980, a military takeover happened. Samuel Doe, who was from the Krahn group, led it. He 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 from the Americo-Liberian group. Doe was later overthrown and killed in 1990. This happened 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 deal. This deal ended the Second Liberian Civil War. His successor, Moses Blah, gave up power on October 13, 2003. Gyude Bryant, who led the Transitional Government of Liberia, then took charge. The presidency officially started again on January 16, 2006. This was after Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was elected in 2005. She was the first female president.

George Weah was elected in 2017 as the 25th president. The outgoing president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, set up a special team. This team helped with the transfer of power. It was important because Liberia had not seen a peaceful transfer from one elected president to another in over 70 years.

What the President Does

The role of Liberia's president is very similar to the presidency of the United States.

Leading the Country

The 1986 Constitution gives the president many powers. The president can choose all cabinet ministers, judges, and ambassadors. They also appoint sheriffs, county officials, and military officers. The Senate must agree to these choices. The president can also remove these people from their jobs.

The president can also grant pardons. This means they can forgive crimes or reduce punishments. The president handles all foreign policy matters. However, any treaties or international agreements need approval from both parts of the Legislature. The president is also the top leader of the Armed Forces of Liberia.

The Constitution also lets the president declare a state of emergency. This can happen during war or civil unrest. During an emergency, the president can temporarily stop some civil liberties. But they cannot stop the right to know why you are being held (habeas corpus). Within seven days, the president must tell the Legislature why they declared the emergency. Both houses must then approve it with a two-thirds vote. If not, 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 say no to a law, which is called a veto. But if two-thirds of both houses vote for the law again, it can still become law. The president can also use a pocket veto. This happens if they don't sign a law and the Legislature goes on break before the deadline.

The president can make a legislative session longer. They can also call a special meeting if it's important for the country. The president must also give a yearly report to the Legislature. This report tells them about the state of the country.

Who Can Be President?

To become president under the current Constitution, a person must meet certain rules:

• They must be a natural-born citizen of Liberia. (The law says citizens must be "Negroes or of Negro descent").
• They must be at least 35 years old.
• They must own property worth at least $25,000.
• They must have lived in Liberia for at least ten years.

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

How Presidents Are Chosen

Under the first 1847 Constitution, presidents served two-year terms. This was changed to four years on May 7, 1907. With this change, a new president would serve for eight years. After that, they could be re-elected for as many four-year terms as they wanted. During William Tolbert's time as president, the Constitution was changed again. It limited the president to just one eight-year term. By 1976, some in the Legislature wanted to go back to the old system. But Tolbert supported the single term and said he would stop any changes.

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

     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 groups

     Military      Independent

Symbols

Died in office

No.	Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Time in office			Political group		Elected	Vice President
			Started	Ended	Length of time
1		Joseph Jenkins Roberts (1809–1876)	January 3, 1848	January 7, 1856	8 years, 4 days		Republican Party	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		Republican Party	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 (Removed from office)	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			—	None (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		None (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		None (November 12, 1896 – January 3, 1898)
								1897		Joseph J. Ross
								1899
									None (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
									None (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		None (July 23, 1971 – April 1972)
										James Edward Greene
								1975
									None (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		5 years, 269 days		Military / National Democratic Party
21			January 6, 1986	September 9, 1990 (Assassinated)	4 years, 246 days			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
									None (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		None (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	Current	1 year, 201 days		Unity Party	2023		Jeremiah Koung

Timeline of Presidents

More to Explore

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

History:

• Agents and governors of Liberia