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Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf Elected President of Liberia
Early this morning, despite charges of fraud, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was declared the winner of Liberia’s presidential election, with just under 60% of the vote. Her rival, former soccer star George Weah (2000 FA Cup with Chelsea FC and much more), garnered 40% and a bit but has protested vehemently that he was cheated. Maybe he was, but he should let it go. His future in Liberian politics is golden if he does.
President Johnson-Sirleaf is the first woman president of Liberia, a nation founded by freed American slaves back in the first part of the 19th century. It has not been a happy history rounded out by the last 14 years during which 200,000 died in civil war out of a population of about 3.5 million. GDP per capita is about $900 per year. Many Liberians are among the poorest of the poor who try to make it on a dollar or two a day.
In addition to the war, the Liberian government has been a source of corruption and is best defined historically as a kleptocracy. Even with peace, the big challenge is to make the country efficient and prosperous in a culture of theft. The ex-Soviet Union shows how hard that can be.
If anyone can succeed, the new president can. She is a formidable woman, known as the “Iron Lady” – whether this is a nod to Mrs. Thatcher or Otto von Bismarck is not relevant. Her campaign website gives the following as her qualifications:
Ellen was a presidential candidate in the 1997 Liberia general election where she came second in the field of thirteen. Prior to that, she served for five years as Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Africa of the United Nations Development Program with the rank of Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations. In a professional life that has spanned over thirty-five years, Mrs. Johnson-Sirleaf has been the Minister of Finance for Liberia, President of the Liberia Bank for Development and Investment; Vice President of Citicorp; Vice President of the HSBC Equator Bank; Senior Loan Officer of the World Bank; Board Member and Regional Representative for West Africa for the Modern Africa Growth and Investment Company (MAGIC); Founder and CEO of Kormah Development Corporation (KODIC); and Founder of Measuagoon, a non-profit supporting community development and girls education in Liberia.
Eugene Magbe, the chairman of Weah's Congress for Democratic Change party, said, “We are questioning the entire process. The elections were fraudulent.” A wise man would acknowledge that the foreign observers found a pretty clean election, and he would withdraw his charges. Mr. Weah is young, at 39, and can be the next president – either to build upon Mrs. Johnson-Sirleaf’s successes or to clean up her mess. Mr. Weah is an astonishing story as well, described by Nelson Mandela (when will he be called “Saint Nelson?”) “Africa’s Pride.” A little patience, and he can do greater things. In one way, Liberia is a very lucky land; it has a great deal of talent.
© Copyright 2005 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent.
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