Liberia

E

Energy

Total annual electricity production stood at about 485 million kWh in 1994, some 39 per cent of which was hydroelectric power.

F

Commerce and Trade

Before the civil war the main exports of Liberia were iron ore (70 per cent by value), rubber (15 per cent), wood (5 per cent), diamonds, coffee, cacao, and palm kernels. In 1995 total exports were valued at about US$667 million. Imports, which were valued at US$5,870 million, included mineral fuels, machinery, metals, foodstuffs, chemicals, and textiles. The main trade partners of Liberia are the United States, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Japan, and South Korea.

G

Transport

Of about 10,600 km (6,587 mi) of roads that serve the country, about 6 per cent are paved. In 1997 there were 3 passenger cars per 1,000 people. The railways, with a total of 493 km (306 mi) of track, mainly carried iron ore to the coast; the Lamco railway closed at the start of the civil war and others were shut down as a result of it. Several years after the end of the war, the transport infrastructure is still in very poor shape. Monrovia Roberts International Airport and Sprigg Payne International Airport both lie near Monrovia. The Liberian merchant marine, because of low registry costs, has one of the largest tanker fleets in the world. In 1995 about 1,190 ships were registered under the Liberian flag of convenience.

V

Government

Following a coup d’état in 1980, Liberia’s constitution, promulgated in 1847, was suspended. A new constitution was published in 1983 and was approved by popular referendum on July 3, 1984, coming into force in January 1986. The civil war, which began in 1989, left the country with no effective government, and divided between opposing camps. After several abortive peace attempts, an accord was reached in 1993, and a transitional administration created in 1994. Handover to an elected government was slow; multi-party elections finally took place in July 1997. After Charles Taylor was forced to leave office in 2003, Charles Gyude Bryant of the Liberian Action Party became acting president. Elections in 2005 saw Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf voted in as president; she became the first woman head of state in Africa.

The president, who is both chief of state and head of government, is voted in for a six-year term. There is a bicameral National Assembly consisting of the 26-member Senate and 64-member House of Representatives, all elected by popular vote. Members of the Senate serve nine-year terms while the lower house serve six-year terms.

A

Political Parties

The ruling party after the 1997 elections was the National Patriotic Party (NPP), which had 70 seats in the National Assembly. Other parties included the Unity Party (UP) with ten seats and the All Liberia Coalition Party (ALCOP) with five.