nventional long form: Republic of Liberia

conventional short form: Liberia

Government type: republic

Capital: Monrovia

Administrative divisions: 13 counties; Bomi, Bong, Grand Bassa,
Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland,
Montserrado, Nimba, River Cess, Sinoe

Independence: 26 July 1847

National holiday: Independence Day, 26 July (1847)

Constitution: 6 January 1986

Legal system: dual system of statutory law based on Anglo-American
common law for the modern sector and customary law based on
unwritten tribal practices for indigenous sector

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President Charles Ghankay TAYLOR
(since 2 August 1997); note - the president is both the chief of
state and head of government

head of government: President Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (since 2
August 1997); note - the president is both the chief of state and
head of government

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president and confirmed by the
Senate

elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term
(renewable); election last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held NA
July 2003)

election results: Charles Ghankay TAYLOR elected president; percent
of vote - Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (NPP) 75.3%, Ellen Johnson SIRLEAF
(UP) 9.6%, Alhaji KROMAH (ALCOP) 4%, other 11.1%

Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly consists of the
Senate (26 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve nine-year
terms) and the House of Representatives (64 seats; members elected
by popular vote to serve six-year terms)

elections: Senate - last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held in NA
2006); House of Representatives - last held 19 July 1997 (next to be
held in NA 2003)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - NPP 21, UP 3, ALCOP 2; House of Representatives - percent of
vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NPP 49, UP 7, ALCOP 3,
Alliance of Political Parties 2, UPP 2, LPP 1; note - the Alliance
of Political Parties was a coalition of the LAP and the Liberia
Unification Party or LUP

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders: All Liberia Coalition Party or ALCOP
[Lusinee KAMARA]; Liberian Action Party or LAP [Cletus WOTORSON];
Liberian National Union or LINU [Henry MONIBA, chairman]; Liberian
People's Party or LPP [Togba-Nah TIPOTEH, chairman]; National
Democratic Party of Liberia or NDPL [Isaac DAKINAH];