Liberia
The Republic of Liberia performs in the middle range across all four categories in the Global State of Democracy (GSoD) framework. It ranks among the top 25 per cent of countries in Freedom of Expression, and the bottom 25 per cent in Basic Welfare, Economic Equality, and Absence of Corruption. Compared to 2019, it has advanced in Elected Government, Freedom of Expression and Access to Justice. Liberia has one of the lowest GDPs per capita in the world, and the economy relies on agriculture, and services.
Present-day Liberia has been inhabited since at least the 12th century, when various ethnic groups migrated to the area as the West African Mali and Songhai empires declined. By the time Europeans began trading along the coast, ethnically-based political communities were well established. The modern state of Liberia has its institutional roots in the American Colonization Society’s initiative to establish a home for born-free and formerly enslaved Black people. The society negotiated an agreement with indigenous leaders to establish a community on the coast in 1821, and Liberia declared its independence in 1847. The settler-dominated state did not govern its claimed territory inland until the 20th century as inland expansion faced strong resistance from indigenous peoples.
This manner of state formation has had political consequences, as the Americo-Liberian/Congo settler community (though a very small portion of the total population) has been politically dominant and historically marginalized the highly-diverse indigenous communities. Poverty is endemic; almost half the population is moderately or severely food insecure. This is made worse by high-level graft and weak service provision. Infrastructural deficiencies have hampered Liberia’s ability to exploit its vast wealth of natural resources, and “blood” diamonds have fueled conflicts and invited foreign sanctions.
Liberia experienced two devastating civil wars between 1989 and 2003, driven largely by economic deprivation and a power struggle between various armed factions. Approximately 250 000 people were killed during the conflicts, and there were gross human rights violations. Former rebel leader Charles Taylor served as president between 1997 and 2003. He was ultimately convicted for war crimes in Liberia and neighboring Sierra Leone.
The post-war government, under Africa’s first female head of state – Ellen Johnson Sirleaf – authorized the Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission (LTRC), which found that the underlying causes of conflict included poverty and corruption. Tension between Americo-Liberian and indigenous groups remains a fault line in the country, and the 2017 victory by President George Weah was celebrated by some citizens as a win for indigenous Liberians. However, recent elections have also shown that Liberian politics may be in a period of realignment, where parties and ethnicity have declining salience.
Liberia is a mid-performer on Gender Equality and, despite extensive legal protections, gender gaps persist, including in parliamentary representation and the labour market. Women also face high rates of domestic violence, which is a major citizen concern. The LGBTQIA+ people lack rights protections and are regularly subjected to discrimination and violence.
Looking ahead, it will be important to monitor the fallout from the highly destabilising political crisis over the leadership of the House of Representatives, which has tested various aspects of Liberia’s democracy, including Effective Parliament and Judicial Independence. Progress towards the establishment of a war crimes court to try civil war era abuses also merits attention for its potential impact on Access to Justice.
Last updated: September 2025
https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/
May 2025
House of Representatives elects new Speaker, ending months-long deadlock
On 13 May, Liberia’s House of Representatives elected a new Speaker, breaking a six-month deadlock between two factions over the leadership of the lower chamber. During this period, the factions have held separate and uncoordinated sittings under rival speakers, thereby disrupting parliamentary processes and raising political tensions within and outside the House. The split was precipitated by a failed attempt from the larger grouping (the Majority Bloc) to impeach the then Speaker and opposition representative Jonathan Fonati Koffa over alleged corruption and poor governance, prompting it to break away and unilaterally elect its own speaker, Richard Nagbe Koon (a representative of the ruling Unity Party). Despite an April Supreme Court ruling reaffirming him as the legitimate Speaker, Koffa resigned on 12 May, citing declining parliamentary support and the government’s insistence on working with the Majority Bloc. Koon was elected as Speaker by a reunified House the following day.
Sources: Front Page Africa, Liberian Observer, Dubawa, Jeune Afrique, International IDEA
November 2024
Growing impasse over House of Representatives Speaker deepens legislative crisis
An ongoing stalemate between two factions of Liberia’s House of Representatives over attempts to remove the Speaker, deepened in November, as the larger faction (the Majority Bloc) purported to elect an alternative speaker and suspended three members of the opposing grouping that is loyal to the speaker. In October, the Majority Bloc began holding separate sittings after failing to garner the two-thirds majority required to remove Speaker Jonathan Fonati Koffa, whom they accuse of corruption. At the beginning of December, there was uncertainty about which speaker would be recognised by President Joseph Boakai and the Senate, which suspended cooperation with the House. The crisis has held up the passage of the 2025 draft national budget and caused popular frustration, at a time when the country is facing economic and governance challenges.
Update: On 23 April 2025, the Supreme Court ruled that the Majority Bloc’s attempt to remove Speaker Koffa was unconstitutional, reaffirming him as the legitimate Speaker. However, on 25 April, Rep. Richard Nagbe Koon — a leading figure in the Majority Bloc who leads the campaign to unseat Koffa — filed a petition for re-argument, which the Court has docketed. As a result, the House remains paralysed, with official business still on hold pending the outcome of the legal challenge.
Sources: New Republic Liberia, Front Page Africa (1), Front Page Africa (2), Liberian Observer, The Africa Report, The Liberian Investigator
May 2024
President signs executive order to establish war crimes and economic crimes courts
On 2 May, President Joseph Boakai signed an executive order paving the way for the establishment of a Special War Crimes Court for Liberia and an anti-corruption court. The former is to prosecute people and organisations responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the Liberian civil war (1979-2003). This court will be an international tribunal established by the Liberian government in conjunction with international partners but its jurisdiction and location are yet to be determined. The executive order follows a parliamentary resolution in April calling for the establishment of such a court and it represents the first domestic attempt to hold perpetrators legally accountable for the massacres, rape and torture carried out during the conflict. The anti-corruption court will be domestic and have the ‘power to adjudicate matters involving acts of corruption’ committed during the civil war. Legislation will need to be passed by parliament to establish this court.
Sources: The President of the Republic of Liberia, New York Times, The Africa Report, British Broadcasting Corporation
November 2023
Joseph Boakai wins in second round of the presidential election
In the first round of the presidential election in October, leading candidates Joseph Boakai of the Unity Party (UP) and incumbent President George Weah of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) were separated by less than one per cent of the vote. Voters were asked to choose between these top two candidates in a second round on 14 November. The official results from the National Elections Commission gave Boakai 50.6 per cent, while Weah received 49.4 per cent. Turnout was 66.1 per cent of registered voters, down from 78.8 per cent in the general election (including the first round of the presidential election) in October. Weah was quick to concede to Boakai and made a public statement urging his supporters to accept the result of the election. His support for the electoral process was widely celebrated in the region. Observers from the European Union stated that the second round was well conducted, and some of the procedural problems in the first round had been corrected.
Sources: National Elections Commission, Reuters, News24, European Union
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