Post-Conflict Elections in Liberia

Unpacks Liberia’s five post-conflict elections, interrogates the forces at play throughout the electoral processes, and traces changes in elections in Liberia overtime. Covering the 1997, 2005, 2011, 2017, and 2023 elections in Liberia, this book untangles the electoral environment in which these elections took place, highlighting the economic, political, and security challenges that followed both recent civil wars and beyond. Through this exploration, the author discusses the selection of the elections management board, voter registration and education, the vetting of candidates, campaigning, voting, and the results of the electoral process. He also examines the external forces involved, such as the Economic Community of West African States, which oversaw the 1997 and 2005 elections, the African Union, the United Nations, and the United States. Kieh argues that even after the two civil wars, the political regimes in power did not start the multidimensional process of structural transformation required in Liberia to bring democracy. Instead, the regimes focused on holding regular elections regardless of the ability for the elections to be fair with oversight that is impartial and able to enforce the election results. Examining these continued concerns, the author urges for further study on the relationship between post-conflict elections and peace-building in Liberia, positing solutions for working democracies.