Liberians made history in November 2005 by electing Ellen Johnson Sirleaf the first female president in Africa. In elections hailed as free and fair, voters replaced the two-year National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL) with a new president, a new vice president, and many new legislators in the 30-member Senate and 64-member House. The NTGL was established through the Comprehensive Peace Accords, which ended the 14-year civil war in August 2003, the same month that former president Charles Taylor was granted safe exile to Nigeria.
The election of President Johnson Sirleaf, a former minister of finance and World Bank official, has presented the war-ravaged country with an opportunity to reverse 25 years of political discord, corruption, and violence that left the country impoverished and decimated. Nearly two years since the president's historic election, there are positive signs of change, including: functioning streetlights in downtown Monrovia; an improved public sanitation system; and an international community that has promised to absolve Liberia of many of its past debts and commit new aid to the country. Unfortunately, chronic unemployment, a precarious security situation, and a poor transportation infrastructure continue to threaten these encouraging developments.
The president faces these challenges with the assistance of the most diverse legislature in Liberia’s history: twelve percent of the House of Representatives and 17 percent of the Senate are women; and first-time legislators form a significant portion of the legislature. The relationship between the two branches has at times been tense, but in August the two sides agreed to a 2008 annual budget before the legislature recessed until the beginning of the new session in January.
In recognition of her leadership and democratic activism, NDI presented the president in October with its annual W. Averell Harriman Democracy Award, which honors individuals who exemplify a commitment to democracy and human rights. Past recipients include former US President Jimmy Carter, former Czech Republic President Václav Havel, and the signatories to the 1998 Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement. The president acknowledged the importance of her historic election, but emphasized the importance of building institutions that would define and help sustain a Liberian democracy.
Recent Programs
In December 2006, NDI began a program to assist the development of the newly elected National Assembly by improving legislative capacity and strengthening legislator/constituent relations. The program seeks to strengthen the technical skills of legislators as lawmakers and committee members while enhancing their ability to respond more effectively to the needs of their constituents. The Institute also provides technical and financial assistance to civil society organizations, building their capacities to communicate citizen concerns and priorities to their representatives. By the end of 2007, NDI will have equipped more than 50 lawmakers with better communication skills through small-group coaching sessions. The Institute released an initial round of small grants to community-based organizations to help the groups organize community forums with constituents, frame issues agendas for their legislators, and facilitate follow-up town hall meetings between legislators and constituents.
NDI sponsored an innovative town hall session in early June that featured Bong County’s national legislators and three members of the US Congress’s House Democracy Assistance Commission (HDAC): Democrats David Price (NC) and Gwendolyn Moore (WI), and Republican Jeff Fortenberry (NE). As representatives of the HDAC - established to connect members of Congress with peers in emerging legislatures - the trio met with the entire National Assembly in Monrovia, attended the town hall meeting, and participated in a call-in radio show after the event. In December, NDI will work with the HDAC to conduct administrative and research-based trainings in Washington, DC, for four Liberian National Assembly staff members.
NDI also conducted retreats to strengthen the Institute’s relationship with, and enhance the skills of, of members of the House and Senate. Representatives and senators discussed the role of political parties within the legislature, the administration of legislative oversight, and the importance of modernization plans and proper rules of procedure. NDI provided technical assistance to the Joint Legislative Modernization Committee (JLMC), created to help guide reforms within the legislature, to begin working with international donors on a five-year legislative development plan. The Institute also facilitated the review and revision of the rules and procedures in the House, and expects a final version to pass the legislature soon after the new session begins in January.
NDI held technical trainings for House and Senate staff members during the past year. More than 60 staffers attended March 2007 trainings on strengthening skills in areas such as time management, record-keeping, report and minutes writing, scheduling of meetings, and responding to constituency communication. A second series of trainings in early May included bill drafting, legislative research, the roles of committees, and the administration of legislative hearings. The Institute also provided a seminar for Ways and Means staff on legislative oversight of the budget.
Past Programs
NDI worked with Liberian democrats in the lead up to the 1997 elections, but left the country temporarily in 1998 due to security concerns. In early 2004, the Institute returned to Monrovia and conducted focus group sessions with citizens on transition political developments. Information gathered through the focus groups was shared with Liberian civic groups to facilitate their effectiveness in playing an advocacy role during the 2004/2005 transition.
House Speaker Alex Tyler, Bomi County Representative Haja Fata Siryon, and US Representative David Price (D-NC) engage Bomi County residents during a call-in radio program.
In the lead up to national elections in 2005, NDI provided technical assistance to Liberian nongovernmental organizations conducting election monitoring and voter education activities. The Institute also co-sponsored, with The Carter Center, two international election observation missions to monitor the elections.
In January 2006, NDI joined the Liberian Ministry of Gender and Development in sponsoring an interactive forum of Liberian women from urban and rural constituencies across the country. Discussions focused on best practices and successful approaches to tackling issues of concern to Liberian women. For most of 2006, NDI co-organized town hall meetings with Liberian lawmakers in which recently elected legislators, many of whom had participated in NDI-sponsored pre-election debates, met with constituents in their districts to foster dialogue between citizens and their elected representatives on issues of national interest.
NDI’s programs in Liberia are funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
Contact Information
For further information on NDI's programs in Liberia, please contact:
Brittany Danisch, Senior Program Officer in DC Send Email
Alexander Chavarria, Resident Director in Liberia Send Email
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