Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Liberia in 2011: still ploughing its own democratic furrow?

2013; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 51; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/14662043.2013.752176

1743-9094

David A. Harris, Tereza Lewis,

Historical and Contemporary Political Dynamics

Abstract The momentous 2005 Liberian elections followed a devastating civil war. Remarkably, the winner of the presidential race was a woman, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and the second-placed was a footballer, George Weah. In addition, in stark contrast to many African elections in particular those in neighbouring Sierra Leone, voting patterns were fragmented: voters often chose President, Senators and Representatives from different parties or independents. Much can be explained by a remarkably level playing-field delivered by an interim coalition government providing no incumbent. In 2011, the Johnson-Sirleaf incumbency stood to significantly change the dynamics. This article seeks to discern whether Liberian elections maintain their unusual patterns, whether Liberia has joined the ranks of African patron-clientelist, dominant-party or two-party systems, in particular compared to that of Sierra Leone, or whether there are new twists in its democratic development. Keywords: Liberiaelectionsdemocracypolitical partiesSierra Leone Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank the Carter Center, on whose 2011 Liberian election monitoring missions both served, and to express deep appreciation to CCP's reviewers for their advice and suggestions. Notes Zambia is a pertinent case study of a predominant party system that then experienced a turnover in 2012 (Burnell, Citation2001). Benin would be one of the few examples of a more fractured party system. ‘Congos’ were originally ‘recaptives’, or slaves recaptured at sea who were released in Liberia. In current parlance, all descendents of settlers or those assimilated into Americo-Liberian society are called Congos. ‘Time to take our country back’ – Winston tells CDC welcome rally, The Analyst (Monrovia), 18 July 2011. War is not our portion: NUDP Prince Johnson Sends Warning to Ellen, Front Page Africa, 3 October 2011. http://frontpageafricaonline.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1440:war-is-not-our-portion-nudp-prince-johnson-sends-warning-to-ellen&catid=41:liberia-2011&Itemid=117 (accessed 2 December 2011). There were no pre-marked ballots here, The News (Monrovia), 13 October 2011. Authors' interviews, 9–10 October 2011 and 7 November 2011. Authors' interviews, 10 October 2011. Authors' interviews, 10 October 2011. Carter Center reports vibrant and generally peaceful campaigning in Liberia; urges steps to level playing field, Carter Center Liberia Pre-Election Statement, 3 October 2011. Simple majority will hold – Supreme Court rules, The Informer (Monrovia), 21 October 2011. Carter Center, 3 October 2011. There was voting for only half of the Senate seats. Each County has two Senators and in 2005, the leading candidate earned a nine-year term and the second place candidate a six-year term, so that staggered Senate elections could be created. Unless indicated, totals in this article are the sum of 2005 and 2011 Senate results. Carter Center Statement on Liberia's Tally Process and Post-Electoral Environment, 21 November 2011. Ecowas preempts CDC – Reads the ‘Riot Acts’ to Tubman, The Analyst (Monrovia), 4 November 2011; Tubman ‘lied’, New Democrat (Monrovia), 7 November 2011. CDC Letter to NEC, CDC Headquarters Office of the Standard Bearer, 8 November 2011. Tubman left CDC in March 2012. Authors' interviews with voters, 8–11 November 2011. Carter Center, 21 November 2011. Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Liberia Mandate, 12 May 2005. Liberian Supreme Court squashes Truth and Reconciliation Commission on ban on politicians, Net News Publisher, 24 January 2011. http://www.netnewspublisher.com/liberian-supreme-court-squashes-truth-and-reconciliation-commission-ban-on-politicians/ (accessed 2 December 2011). Acarous Gray's trial rescheduled, Heritage (Monrovia), 5 January 2012. Tubman Chased Out of Party Headquarter, New Dawn (Monrovia), 17 January 2012. The Lofa effort as witnessed by the authors, 8–10 October 2011. ‘American-Liberian’ is the authors' own term, not one in wide usage.