Africa: Liberia elects first woman head of state
Jet, Dec 12, 2005
Longtime political activist and economist Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf made history after a recent election declared her the first woman president to be elected in Africa.
Johnson-Sirleaf, 67, fondly known as the "Iron Lady" because of her hard-hitting political savvy, defeated wealthy, international soccer star George Weah with 59.4 percent of the votes to Weah's 40.6 percent.
Before Johnson-Sirleaf was officially named president, her opponent filed a complaint with the National Elections Commission that accused Johnson-Sirleaf's Unity Party of voter fraud.
After the votes were counted, officials confirmed that Johnson-Sirleaf won fairly.
With this new title, Johnson-Sirleaf, a graduate of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, continues her stellar career in public service. She previously served in several key positions including secretary of state for finance, minister of finance and director of UN Development Programme Regional Bureau for Africa.
This election was Liberia's first election since the end of its 14-year civil war, which left the country's economy and infrastructure in ruin.
Liberia has a population of 3.4 million. Monrovia, the capital, does not have running water or electricity, unemployment is at 85 percent, and is saddled with more than $3 billion in debt.
A West African news source, IRIN News, reported that Johnson-Sirleaf plans to rebuild the economy by using the Governance and Economic Management Assistance Programme (GEMAP).
"GEMAP will help us in the beginning ... but our government is going to be a competent, honest government that's going to have the capacity over time to manage our resources well," said the mother of four and grandmother of six.
She also told the IRIN that she plans to stay in touch with the people.
"I want to remain accessible to the people," she said.
"I want to be able to walk the streets and meet people; I want to meet the market women and buy their fruit and vegetables off the sidewalk."
- 5 Rules for Immediate Annuities
- Death in the Family: 12 Things to Do Now
- Dumbest Things You Do With Your Money
- 6 Online Networking Mistakes to Avoid
- 401(k) Mistakes to Avoid
- 5 Economic Scenarios to Keep You Up at Night
- The Real ‘Best Places to Retire’
- Best Credit Cards for You
- 12 Tough Questions to Ask Your Parents
- The Real ‘Best Colleges’
- Home Buyer Tax Credit: How to Cash In
- Why You Shouldn't Bash Cash
- 8 Phony 'Bargains' and Better Alternatives
- Danger: 3 Debit Card Scams to Avoid
- 6 Myths About Gas Mileage
- 29 Fees We Hate Most
- Quick and Easy Ways to Boost Returns
- Best Stocks to Buy Now
- Lower Your Taxes: 10 Moves to Make Now
- New Jobs: 8 Lessons from Real-Life Career Switchers
- The New Job Market: Who Wins and Who Loses?
- Health Care Reform's Public Option: Everything You Need to Know
- Volunteer Work When Unemployed: Should You Work for Free?
- Whose Recovery Is This?
- Long-Term-Care Insurance: 4 Biggest Risks to Avoid
Content provided in partnership with
Most Recent Reference Articles
- A Maryland state trooper gave Erik Bonstrom an $80 ticket for driving too slowly
- In California, postal worker Dean Hudson has been found guilty
- Alec Loorz, the 15-year-old founder of Kids vs. Global Warming and recent Brower Youth Award recipient, went to Congress in November for a press conference with Senators Barbara Boxer and John Kerry, who are championing legislation to stabilize US greenho
- Foreign exchange
- The buzz on bees
Most Recent Reference Publications
Most Popular Reference Articles
- Credit card debt on college campuses: causes, consequences, and solutions
- 9 questions to ask your new lover: what you were afraid to ask, but always wanted to know
- How Tyler Perry rose from homelessness to a $5 million mansion
- A world without nuclear weapons?
- Rejoice anyway - Zephaniah 3:14-20, Philippians 4:4-7 - Living by the Word - Column
