Elections in Liberia occur solely at the national level. The head of state, the President of Liberia, is elected to a six-year term in a two-round system, in which a run-off between the two candidates with the highest number of votes is held should no single candidate earn a majority of the vote in the first round. The Legislature has two elected chambers.
The House of Representatives has 73 members, elected to six-year terms by the first-past-the-post method in single-member districts. The Senate has 30 members, 2 from each county, elected at-large to nine-year terms by the first-past-the-post method. Senatorial elections are staggered, with one senator from each county being elected in elections held three years apart, followed by a six-year period in which no senatorial elections are held.
All citizens who are 18 years or older may register to vote in elections. Under Article 83(a) of the Constitution, elections are held on the second Tuesday of October every election year, with presidential run-off elections being held on the second Tuesday following the announcement of the results of the first round. Elections are regulated by the National Elections Commission of Liberia (NEC).
The first round of a general election to elect the President and House of Representatives on 10 October 2017, resulted in a run-off between ex-football star George Weah and Vice President Joseph Boakai.[1] George Weah won the run-off with more than 60% of the ballots cast.[2]
No candidate won a majority in the first round, with Weah narrowly placing first over opposition leader Joseph Boakai, which meant both advanced to a runoff held on 14 November 2023.[3][4]
Boakai defeated Weah 51% to 49% in the closest runoff in Liberia's electoral history.[5][6]
Candidate | Running mate | Party | First round | Second round | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes | % | Votes | % | ||||
George Weah | Jewel Taylor | Coalition for Democratic Change | 804,087 | 43.83 | 793,914 | 49.36 | |
Joseph Boakai | Jeremiah Koung | Unity Party | 796,961 | 43.44 | 814,481 | 50.64 | |
Edward W. Appleton | Alex Gontee | Grassroots Development Movement | 40,271 | 2.20 | |||
Lusinee Kamara | Matthew Darblo | All Liberia Coalition Party | 35,988 | 1.96 | |||
Alexander B. Cummings Jr. | Charlyne Brumskine | Collaborating Political Parties | 29,613 | 1.61 | |||
Tiawan Saye Gongloe | Emmanuel Yarkpawolo | Liberian People's Party | 26,394 | 1.44 | |||
Allen R. Brown Jr. | Noosevett Weah | Liberia Restoration Party | 15,607 | 0.85 | |||
Simeon Freeman | James Barclay | Movement for Progressive Change | 13,205 | 0.72 | |||
William Wiah Tuider | Jonah Dumoe | Democratic National Allegiance | 11,184 | 0.61 | |||
Joshua Tom Turner | Somah Paygai | New Liberia Party | 9,813 | 0.53 | |||
Jeremiah Whapoe | Erasmus Fahnbulleh | Vision for Liberia Transformation | 9,149 | 0.50 | |||
Luther Yorfee | Juvenal Pearson | Liberia Rebuilding Party | 6,479 | 0.35 | |||
Bendu Kromah | Thomas Kruah | Independent | 5,991 | 0.33 | |||
Clarence Moniba | Grace-Tee Kpaan | Liberia National Union | 5,298 | 0.29 | |||
Sherikh Kouyateh | Max Vargbelee | Liberia First Movement | 5,100 | 0.28 | |||
David Kiamu | Annie Tuazama | Democratic People's Party of Liberia | 5,086 | 0.28 | |||
Alexander Kollie | Grace Yuan | Reformers National Congress | 4,398 | 0.24 | |||
Sara Beysolow Nyanti | Simeon Moribah | African Liberation League | 3,644 | 0.20 | |||
Robert Franz Morris | Celia Brown | Independent | 3,363 | 0.18 | |||
Richard Saye Miller | Emike Slawon | Liberian for Prosperity Party | 2,885 | 0.16 | |||
Total | 1,834,516 | 100.00 | 1,608,395 | 100.00 | |||
Valid votes | 1,834,516 | 94.12 | 1,608,395 | 98.42 | |||
Invalid/blank votes | 114,639 | 5.88 | 25,788 | 1.58 | |||
Total votes | 1,949,155 | 100.00 | 1,634,183 | 100.00 | |||
Registered voters/turnout | 2,471,617 | 78.86 | 2,471,617 | 66.12 | |||
Source: NEC (candidates), NEC |
Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC–NPP–LPDP) | 239,754 | 15.57 | 21 | +7 | |
Unity Party | 220,508 | 14.32 | 20 | −4 | |
Liberty Party | 131,980 | 8.57 | 3 | −4 | |
Alternative National Congress | 93,475 | 6.07 | 0 | New | |
People's Unification Party | 90,421 | 5.87 | 5 | New | |
All Liberian Party | 77,013 | 5.00 | 3 | New | |
Movement for Economic Empowerment | 59,268 | 3.85 | 1 | New | |
Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction | 56,734 | 3.69 | 2 | New | |
Coalition for Liberia's Progress | 50,732 | 3.30 | 0 | New | |
Liberia Transformation Party | 49,621 | 3.22 | 1 | 0 | |
United People's Party | 47,357 | 3.08 | 1 | New | |
Victory for Change Party | 28,385 | 1.84 | 1 | +1 | |
Liberian People's Party | 24,287 | 1.58 | 1 | New | |
Vision for Liberia Transformation | 21,324 | 1.39 | 0 | New | |
Grassroot Democratic Party of Liberia | 20,588 | 1.34 | 0 | 0 | |
Liberia National Union | 20,227 | 1.31 | 1 | +1 | |
Movement for Progressive Change | 19,980 | 1.30 | 0 | −2 | |
True Whig Party | 14,723 | 0.96 | 0 | New | |
Liberia Restoration Party | 11,690 | 0.76 | 0 | New | |
Democratic Justice Party | 7,415 | 0.48 | 0 | New | |
Change Democratic Action | 7,166 | 0.47 | 0 | New | |
Redemption Democratic Congress | 5,731 | 0.37 | 0 | New | |
Liberians for Prosperity | 628 | 0.04 | 0 | New | |
New Liberia Party | 494 | 0.03 | 0 | New | |
Independents | 240,001 | 15.59 | 13 | −2 | |
Total | 1,539,502 | 100.00 | 73 | 0 | |
Valid votes | 1,539,502 | 94.86 | |||
Invalid/blank votes | 83,427 | 5.14 | |||
Total votes | 1,622,929 | 100.00 | |||
Registered voters/turnout | 2,183,629 | 74.32 | |||
Source: NEC, NEC, Carter Center |
Party | Votes | % | Seats | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Congress for Democratic Change | 135,897 | 29.78 | 2 | |
Liberty Party | 52,351 | 11.47 | 2 | |
Unity Party | 47,123 | 10.33 | 4 | |
National Patriotic Party | 27,602 | 6.05 | 1 | |
People's Unification Party | 22,528 | 4.94 | 1 | |
Alternative National Congress | 18,917 | 4.15 | 1 | |
Alliance for Peace and Democracy | 18,410 | 4.03 | 0 | |
National Democratic Coalition | 5,726 | 1.25 | 1 | |
Union of Liberian Democrats | 4,092 | 0.90 | 0 | |
Liberia Transformation Party | 3,680 | 0.81 | 0 | |
Grassroot Democratic Party of Liberia | 3,154 | 0.69 | 0 | |
Movement for Progressive Change | 3,038 | 0.67 | 0 | |
Liberia National Union | 1,779 | 0.39 | 0 | |
Victory for Change Party | 1,266 | 0.28 | 0 | |
Independents | 110,707 | 24.26 | 3 | |
Total | 456,270 | 100.00 | 15 | |
Valid votes | 456,270 | 95.07 | ||
Invalid/blank votes | 23,666 | 4.93 | ||
Total votes | 479,936 | 100.00 | ||
Registered voters/turnout | 1,903,229 | 25.22 | ||
Source: NEC, NEC |