Methodist Church Member Running for Liberian Presidency

With the official campaigning for the Liberian Elections beginning two days ago, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a Methodist Church member and former United Nations official is leading a strong opposition to the current regime currently under UN Sanctions for its support of rebels in war torn Sierra Leone.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, active member of the First United Methodist Church of Monrovia is hoping to be the first elected Woman President of Liberia, in elections which have been condemned by the US for its poor organisation.

With over 50 candidates and 30 parties, in a country torn apart by civil unrest, the US is concerned that the election will not be fair and free. The electoral commission of Liberia has already stated that it would not allow the international community to monitor the elections.

"No foreign laws shall prevail in the electoral process, and there shall be no foreign supervision," said Mr Guah, Chairman of the Commission.

There are also concerns about the poor literacy rate and bad state of the roads, which is preventing candidates from making their campaign known.

Ms Johnson Sirleaf, an opposition leader who also challenged current President Charles Taylor in 1997 has also voiced concerns about the prospect of unmonitored elections.

"The conditions for a level playing field do not exist, and by barring foreign supervision, it is clear he is setting the stage for fraud," she said from Abidjan, where she lives in exile.

Johnson Sirleaf continued that the Liberyan opposition would try to forge a winning team by following the model of Kenya, where opposition groups have gained a foothold against President Moi’s one party state.

Amidst this confusion of a country torn apart by war and rebellion, the elections are hoped to be a fresh start for the country.

Whatever the outcome however, the president of Liberia faces daunting challenges; the war-torn country has been without centralised electricity and operable water and sewage systems for 15 years, and highways are in disrepair. The rural population fled to the city to escape the rebels and lost their farming equipment to looters, so agricultural production is limited and the cities are overcrowded. The unemployment rate is estimated at 95 percent, and no one is paying taxes.

U.N. troops are still stationed throughout the country to keep the peace.