President of Liberia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids President of theRepublic of Liberia |
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![]() Presidential standard
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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.
Contents
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 | |||
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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) |
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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) |
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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) |
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1897 | Joseph J. Ross | ||||||||
1899 | |||||||||
Vacant (October 24, 1899 – January 3, 1902) |
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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) |
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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) |
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James Edward Greene | |||||||||
1975 | |||||||||
Vacant (July 22, 1977 – October 31, 1977) |
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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 |
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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) |
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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) |
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— | ![]() |
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, 161 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