Liberia Government 1997

Country name
conventional long form: Republic of Liberia
conventional short form: Liberia

Data code LI

Government type republic

National capital Monrovia

Administrative divisions 13 counties; Bomi, Bong, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh,Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, River Cess, Sinoe

Independence 26 July 1847

National holiday Independence Day, 26 July (1847)

Constitution 6 January 1986

Legal system dual system of statutory law based on Anglo-American common law forthe modern sector and customary law based on unwritten tribal practices forindigenous sector

Suffrage 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
chief of state: Chairman of the Council of State Ruth PERRY (since NA August 1996);note - chairman of the Council of State is both the chief of state and headof government
head of government : Chairman of the Council of State Ruth PERRY (since NA August 1996);note - chairman of the Council of State is both the chief of state and headof government
cabinet: Cabinet selected by the leaders of the major factions in the civil war
elections: last presidential election held 15 October 1985 (next to be held 19July 1997); results - Samuel Kanyon DOE (NDPL) 50.9%, Jackson DOE (LAP) 26.4%, other 22.7%
note : constitutional government ended in September 1990 when President SamuelKanyon DOE was killed by rebel forces; civil war ensued and in August 1996the Abuja II peace accord was signed by the major warring factions; a transitionalcoalition government under Ruth PERRY was formed in August 1996; presidentialelections are scheduled for 19 July 1997

Legislative branch unicameral Transitional Legislative Assembly, the members of which areappointed by the leaders of the major factions in the civil war
note : the former bicameral legislature no longer exists and is unlikely tobe reconstituted soon

Judicial branch Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders present conditions of civil strife and anarchy have rendered Liberia'spolitical parties completely ineffectual; prior to the outbreak of warfareamong armed factions the following political parties were prominent: NationalDemocratic Party of Liberia or NDPL [Augustus CAINE, chairman]; Liberian ActionParty or LAP [Emmanuel KOROMAH, chairman]; Unity Party or UP [Joseph KOFA,chairman]; United People's Party or UPP [Gabriel Baccus MATTHEWS, chairman];National Patriotic Party or NPP [Charles Ghankay TAYLOR, chairman]; LiberianPeoples Party or LPP [Dusty WOLOKOLLIE, chairman]

Political pressure groups and leaders the following armed factions, in accordance with the peace accord ofAugust 1995, form the transitional government of Liberia: Armed Forces ofLiberia or AFL (formerly a part of the national armed forces) [Lt. Gen. HezekiahBOWEN, leader]; National Patriotic Front of Liberia or NPFL (initiated hostilitiesagainst Samuel DOE's government from Cote d' Ivoire in December 1989) [CharlesGhankay TAYLOR, leader]; Central Revolutionary Committee or CRC (dissidentmembers of the NPFL in conflict with forces loyal to Charles Ghankay TAYLOR)[Thomas J. WOEWIYU, LEADER]; Liberia Peace Council or LPC (has opposed NPLFforces in southeastern Liberia) [Dr. George F. SAIGBE BOLEY, chairman; OctaviusWALKER, secretary-general]; United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracyor ULIMO (former supporters of Samuel DOE that have split on ethnic linesinto two groups in conflict with each other: ULIMO-K [Alhaji G. V. KROMAH,leader] and ULIMO-J [Maj. Gen. Roosevelt JOHNSON, leader]); Lofa Defence Forceor LDF (has fought the ULIMO forces in Lofa county) [Francois MASSAQUOI, leader];note - the ULIMO-J forces are of the Krahn ethnic group and the ULIMO-K forcesare of the Mandingo ethnic group

International organization participation ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM,IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat (nonsignatory user),Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU,WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Konah K. BLACKETT
chancery: 5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011
telephone : [1] (202) 723-0437
consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission : Ambassador (vacant); Chief of Mission William MILAM
embassy: 111 United Nations Drive, Monrovia
mailing address: P. O. Box 100098, Mamba Point, Monrovia
telephone: [231] 226-370
FAX : [231] 226-148

Flag description 11 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating withwhite; there is a white five-pointed star on a blue square in the upper hoist-sidecorner; the design was based on the US flag

NOTE: The information regarding Liberia on this page is re-published from the 1997 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Liberia Government 1997 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Liberia Government 1997 should be addressed to the CIA.