Liberia
Liberia is in Western Africa and has a population of about 4.7 million inhabitants. Although English is the country’s official language, over 20 indigenous languages are spoken. Monrovia is the largest and capital city of Liberia. The settlement of the American Colonization Society began in Liberia. Practitioners of this movement believed black people would have greater prosperity in Africa than in the US. Although independence was declared on July 26, 1847, the US didn’t recognize Liberia’s independence until during the Civil War in February of 1862. The country is Africa’s first and oldest republic.
Liberia was a founding member of international organizations including the Organization of African Unity, and the League of Nations and United Nations. A coup in 1980 led to the killing of leader William R. Tolbert and political instability for the country. This was shortly followed by the First and Second Liberian Civil Wars, resulting in over 250,000 deaths. A 2003 peace agreement was signed leading to the election of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as President in 2005.
Liberia is divided into 15 counties and 90 districts, which is further divided into clans. Grand Bassa and Montserrado are two of the oldest counties and were founded prior to the country’s independence. Superintendents, who are appointed by the President, oversee each of these counties. The unitary constitutional republic in Liberia is modeled after that of the United States. It has three branches, the executive, legislative, and judiciary, each having equal powers. The President serves as head of government, state, and military. The President and Vice President are elected into office, every six years, by popular vote.
The Supreme Court, which is headed by five Justices, is the highest court in Liberia. The Chief Justice holds the highest power of the appointed justices. The President nominates members of each court and Senate confirms the nominations. Circuit and specialty courts comprise the lower court systems in Liberia. There are also magistrate and justice of the peace courts. Customary law and common law modeled after Anglo-American law, are the basis for the judicial system in the country.
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