In 2011, Liberia had a population estimated at around 4.5 million people. Its economy was largely reliant on its export of rubber and timber, as well as iron ore mining and agriculture. Foreign relations in 2011 were marked by strong ties to the United States, China and other countries throughout Africa. Politically, the country was a presidential republic ruled by President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf since 2006. The president was assisted by her cabinet and the Parliament which is composed of 73 members elected for six-year terms. In 2011, Liberia held its general election in October that year and re-elected President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf with nearly 80% of votes cast. See mathgeneral for Liberia in the year of 2017.
Yearbook 2011
Liberia. According to Countryaah official site, Liberia received positive attention in the world when the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded two-thirds of the 2011 Peace Prize to activist Leymah Gbowee and President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Gbowee was rewarded for pushing the warlords together with other women to sign a peace treaty in 2003, Johnson Sirleaf for successfully maintaining peace for six years as president. Visit ABBREVIATIONFINDER for the acronym of LBR that stands for the country of Liberia.
Otherwise, the newly won democracy showed signs of limping in a toughening political climate. In August, a referendum was held which became a failure for the government. Voters would decide on a number of issues at the same time, of which the most contentious was that a presidential or vice presidential candidate must have lived at least five years without interruption in Liberia, instead of ten years so far required. The ten-year rule was temporarily repealed at the 2005 election, as most candidates lived abroad during the Civil War. With five years, the starting field would be opened, which could divide the opposition, but at the same time some could be excluded who have lived abroad in recent years.
The opposition, led by the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), condemned the referendum the motivation that it was unreasonable to implement a series of important legislative changes just weeks before the presidential election. The CDC called for a boycott and largely got the residents with it. Only 34% of voters participated, and only one of four amendments went through (after appeal and recast): that the demand for an absolute majority be abolished in parliamentary and local elections. For cost reasons, the government wanted these elections to be decided on a single occasion.
In the first round of presidential elections in October, Johnson Sirleaf received 44% of the vote, forcing her to face a crucial round of CDC candidate Winston Tubman, who received 32%. Although foreign observers described the election as orderly, Tubman claimed that there had been widespread cheating and that the Election Commission had been involved in this. The President of the Commission resigned after the criticism, but Tubman still decided not to stand in the second round. He again called for voter boycott and participation was only about 37%, against 71% in the first round. In the absence of opponents, Johnson Sirleaf was re-elected with just over 90% of the vote. Tubman was accused of trying to turn a secure defeat into a propaganda victory and succeeded to some extent, as the president’s legitimacy was partially weakened by her being voted only by one-third of the residents.
In addition, the choice of violence was obscured before the second round, when CDC supporters clashed with the riot police and at least one person was killed. The second round was also preceded by violence and threats against journalists and media companies.
In the parliamentary elections, which were conducted in parallel with the first round of the presidential election, the President’s Unity Party retained its position as the largest party in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.