LIBERIA RUNOFF
Liberia went into their general elections on the 10th of October 2017 to elect President and the House of Representatives. The National Elections Commission (NEC) had published a list of 20 presidential candidates as well as more than 700 aspiring representatives.
The two leading presidential candidates were unable to garner the 50% threshold required by the constitution to be made outright winners. George Weah got 39.0% of the votes while Vice President Joseph Boakai got 29.1%
- Liberia’s electoral process
Liberia’s National Elections Commission has the mandate contained in their constitution to carry out the elections. The President of the country is elected for a 6 year term in a two round system. The House of Representatives contain 73 members who are elected to six.-year-term in single member district. The government has spent a tune of $1.5 million to print the ballot papers in Slovenia and Ghana, which also printed the 2011 ballot papers.
An article accompanied by a graphic video looking at Liberia’s process of elections and how activities are run on the day as well as the counting of votes and announcement of winners. On the Election Day, we shall have A Facebook LIVE explaining what is happening and details of how the process is going on.
- Role of observers in elections
According to the UN, observer missions play an important role of improving the quality of elections by building public confidence in the honesty of electoral processes. Their role has come under scrutiny in recent days following the historic invalidation of the Kenya’s Presidential elections results. They had given the elections a clean bill of health only for the country’s Supreme Court to annul the results. In Liberia, the EU observer mission was invited by the authorities there and they arrived on September 1st.
This piece will look at the role of observer mission and how their role is important in ensuring countries hold free and fair elections.
https://www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/wps/publication/Chapter7.htm
- Effects of civil wars in Liberia
Liberia has been through 2 civil wars. The first was an internal conflict and it happened between the years 1989-1997. About 250,000 lives were lost and many others were displaced. It took the intervention of ECOWAS and the United Nations to bring about peace which did not last long. In 1999, the second Liberian civil war broke out. This time, 2 rebel groups were fighting against Charles Taylor’s government.
So how has this affected the country’s growth and development? Many building are still broken down up to this day. This will be an article accompanied by an online article on how the wars have slowed down the country.
- Role of Liberian women in fostering peace
Liberian women have been credited to be the ones who pushed for peace talks that ended the second Liberian civil war. Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace was started in 2003 by Crystal Roh Gawding and social workers Leymah Gbowee and Comfort Freeman. Thousands of Muslim and Christian women from various classes mobilized their efforts, staged silent nonviolence protests that included a sex strike and the threat of a curse.
An online video using file footage and new footage shot during the October 10 election describing how women are working hard to make sure Liberia does not go back to fighting again.
- Youth in politics
Young people in Liberia have organized themselves in various pseudo civil society and advocacy groups for various purposes. They are allowed to discuss issues affecting their country. We could speak in depth to a young person who involves in politics and why he thinks it is important for young people to be involved in politics.
- Sports in Liberia
George Weah is probably the biggest sports personality to ever come out of Liberia. He was the first African player to win both FIFA World Player of the Year and the Ballon d’Or. Football is the most popular sport in the country. What have the presidential candidates and their parties said about sports? How has sports improved in the country? Are there structures in place to make sure that the country gets another George Weah?
We could speak to a Liberian analyst on the state of sports in the country and how the new governments can help to improve the sports structures in the country.
- #ExploreAfrica
Despite having gone through rough patches, civil wars and Ebola, the country has quite a number of sights to offer for anyone planning to visit them. We plan to visit and get good videos and pictures of the places to be used on our #ExploreAfrica series.
- Providence Island
It was initially called Dozoa Island. It is the place where freed slaves from America first lived upon migration from the United States to Liberia.
- Liberia National Museum
The Museum is in the capital Monrovia. It was partly funded by UNESCO in coordination with the Liberian Ministry of Education with a primary goal of obtaining, preserving and displaying cultural artefacts and other historical items which depict the country’s heritage. And although so many of the artefacts were stolen during the civil wars, quite a number of them remain to show the country’s history.
- Centennial Pavilion
This is a monument of history for the Liberian people since it is where the Presidents of the country are sworn in and it houses in its undergrounds many monuments and statutes. This is also where William Tubman who ruled Liberia for 27 years is buried. A possible Facebook Live with a tour guide on where the country’s next president will be sworn.
- Sapo National Park
The National Park is Liberia’s largest protected area of rainforest and its only national park and contains the second-largest area of primary tropical rainforest in West Africa after Taï National Park in neighbouring Côte d’Ivoire. Agriculture, construction, fishing, hunting, human settlement, and logging are prohibited in the park. The park provides sanctuary for pygmy hippos and elephants.
A guide could give us a look at what the national park contains as well as the history of the park also how the civil wars has taken a toll on the park.
- Liberian masks
Liberia is known for its beautiful masks. And for the Dan people of Liberia, masks are the most important art form. They refer to these masks as gle or ge, terms that refers both to the physical mask and the individual spirits the mask is believed to embody during masquerade performances.
Track where these masks are made and get their significance to these communities. Visit where they are being sold.
- Liberian food
The diet in Liberia is centered on the consumption of rice and other starches, tropical fruits, vegetables, and local fish and meat. A look at some of Liberian cuisines and how they are prepared. A cook could explain the process of preparing them and how they should be served.
