Few people have suffered more or, at this moment, face more unprecedented opportunities for the alleviation of their suffering than do Liberians. This is a positive step in a journey toward a better life for all Liberians. On Saturday, monitors from The Carter Center, the European Union, the United Nations and Friends of Liberia will watch as Liberians elect a president and 90 members of parliament. Thirteen candidates seek the presidency, including three former faction leaders who have complied with disarmament requirements and pledged to abide by the results of the elections.
Elections are a long time in coming.
Created by freed American slaves in the early 1800s, the Liberian government took its name from liberty and named its capital city Monrovia for a U.S. president, but failed to grant either equal treatment or freedom to the native tribes of the interior. In 1980, a dissident group headed by Army Sergeant Samuel Doe ended 150 years of Americo-Liberian autocratic rule when he overthrew the government and publicly executed most of the top officials. After 10 years of his despotic rule, a revolutionary group occupied most of the nation, and Doe was tortured and publicly dismembered. Since then, several warring groups have struggled for power. At the request of Liberian faction leaders and presidents of West African nations, The Carter Center has joined them during the last six years in seeking a cease-fire, disarmament of warring troops, and internationally supervised elections.