GOVERNMENT
Liberia has a bicameral legislature consisting of 64 representatives and 30 senators. The 2005 election placed a spectrum of political personalities in the legislature, most for six-year terms. Senior senators were elected for nine-year terms. Party structures remain weak, and politics continues to be personality-driven. Historically, the executive branch heavily influenced the legislature and judicial system.
The judiciary is divided into four levels, including justices of the peace, courts of record (magistrate courts), courts of first instance (circuit and specialty courts), and the Supreme Court. Traditional courts and lay courts exist in rural areas of the country. Trial by ordeal, though officially outlawed, is practiced in various parts of Liberia. The formal judicial system remains hampered by severe shortages of qualified judges and other judicial officials. Locally, political power emanates from traditional chiefs (town, clan, or paramount chiefs), mayors, and district commissioners. Mayors are elected in principal cities in Liberia. Superintendents appointed by the president govern the counties. There are 15 counties in Liberia.
Principal Government Officials
President--Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
Vice President--Joseph Nyumah Boakai
Speaker of the House of Representatives--J. Alex Tyler
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court--Johnnie N. Lewis
Minister of Foreign Affairs--Olubanke King-Akerele
Liberia maintains an embassy in the United States at 5201 16th Street, NW, Washington DC, 202-723-0437.
Type: Republic.
Independence: From American Colonization Society July 26, 1847.
Constitution: January 6, 1986.
Political parties: 30 registered political parties.
