Press Release

The departure from office of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, who has distinguished herself from many other African leaders by not pushing for an unconstitutional third term, was the focus of a congressional hearing held by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, who cautioned that all the possible directions the country may take once elections are held this October must be examined closely.

Liberia, a country established in the 1800s by freed slaves from the United States, has a special place in U.S. foreign policy toward Africa. After seeing democratic progress under President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf during her two terms in office, the U.S. must consider the prospects for further consolidation of democracy and governance by a new Administration, said Chairman Smith (NJ-04), Senior Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations.

SLIDE SHOW - Pictured above are Chairman Smith, other Members of Congress and witnesses from the State Dept., USAID and several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) who testified at Smith's hearing. 

  “Our government has a significant investment in Liberia on several fronts,” said Chairman Smith. “The future direction of this country is important to the United States. Therefore, we have a stake in the next Liberian government building on advances made in democracy and governance under the current government and must continue to provide assistance to that end and insist on no backsliding as we see in far too many countries in Africa today.” Click here to read Smith’s opening statement. Click here to watch his opening statement.

Witnesses from the Administration included Donald Yamamoto, Acting Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs, U.S. Department of State, and Cheryl Anderson, Acting Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Africa at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

  “This election is critical, not just for what the transition represents but because it will give Liberians the opportunity to elect a President well-equipped to lead the country towards a peaceful and prosperous future,” said Yamamoto. “Despite how far Liberia has come, many challenges remain that will fall to President Sirleaf’s successor to address.” Click here to read his full testimony.

  “As a new government is formed following the upcoming elections, the United States will look to build strategically on the current strong relationship and identify opportunities to enhance transparency, strengthen checks and balances, and to support Liberians both inside and outside of government institutions,” said Anderson. “This includes our work with the nation’s next generation of democratic leaders.” Click here to read her full testimony.

  Also testifying were Dave Peterson, Senior Director of Africa Programs at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), and Aurelia Curtis, Founder and Executive Director of Weeks Educational and Social Advocacy Project; Rushdi Nackerdien , Regional Director for Africa, International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), and; Christopher Fomunyoh, Ph.D., Senior Associate and Regional Director for Central and West Africa National Democratic Institute (NDI).


  “I can testify to the determination Liberians have demonstrated for democracy at the ballot box,” said Peterson of NED. “According to the Afrobarometer, 83 percent of Liberians support democratic elections.” Click here to read Peterson’s testimony.

  “The civil war has left entrenched resentments and divisions along tribal and political lines, evident in the Diaspora and ever-present in current campaign rhetoric,” said Curtis, who said her own father was among those who walked for days to escape warring Factions after his home was taken over by rebel forces. Even after he found his way out of Liberia and into the United States, he continued to suffer the recollection of atrocities. “There is no quick solution to problems resulting from more than one hundred years of dysfunction in government and social practices.” Click here to read Curtis testimony.

  “Based on voter turnout from past presidential and general elections in 2005 and 2011, a turnout (in round one) of up to 80 percent is anticipated, compared to a turnout of about 60 percent for the United States’ 2016 elections,” said Nackerdien of IFES. “However, if there is torrential rain in many areas of the country on Election Day, it will have a direct impact on the willingness and ability of Liberians to reach their polling stations (sometimes up to 10 kilometers away, through difficult terrain).” Click here to read Nackerdien’s testimony.

  “Prospective voters view the polls as a catalyst for the improvement of their well-being that could further nourish the country’s rebirth or renewal,” said Fomunyoh of NDI. “They are fearful of renewed conflict, economic decline, and physical insecurity, should the elections fail.” Click here to read Fomunyoh’s testimony.

  According to the Liberian Embassy, U.S.-Liberian relations date back to the founding of Liberia in 1822 by former slaves and free-born blacks from the United States, under the auspices of the American Colonization Society (ACS). The ACS, a philanthropic organization, was chartered to find a new home in Africa for freed men and women of color in the U.S. Included among the founders of the ACS were Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe, Daniel Webster, Francis Scott Key and Bushrod Washington, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and nephew of George Washington. Liberia’s capital, Monrovia, is named after Monroe.

  On July 26, 1847, Liberia declared her independence, and became Africa’s first republic. Ten of Liberia’s 23 presidents were American born. Liberia championed liberation of the African Continent away from colonial rule to self determination.

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