At stake in this election:

• The office of President of Liberia

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Gyude BRYANT *
• Head of Government: Head of National Transitional Government Gyude BRYANT
• Assembly: Liberia has a bicameral National Assembly consisting of the Senate with 30 seats and the House of Representatives with 64 seats.

* This is an interim position until a new president is inaugurated in January 2006 following the October 11, 2005 presidential election.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by absolute majority vote through a two-round system to serve a 6-year term.
• In the Senate, 15 members are elected by plurality vote in multi-member constituencies to serve 9-year terms and 15 members are elected by plurality vote in multi-member constituencies to serve 6-year terms*. In the House of Representatives 64 members are elected by plurality vote in single-member constituencies to serve 6-year terms.

* Two Senators are elected from each of Liberia's 15 counties. The senatorial candidates receiving the highest number of votes in each of the 15 counties shall be considered Senior Senators and shall have a term of office of 9 years. The senatorial candidates with the next highest number of votes in each county shall be considered Junior Senators and shall have a term of office of 6 years.

Main Candidates in the Second Round of the Presidential race:

• George Manneh WEAH
  • Party: Congress for Democratic Change (CDC)
• Ellen JOHNSON-SIRLEAF
  • Party: Unity Party ( UP)

Main Candidates in the First Round of the Presidential race:

• Ellen JOHNSON-SIRLEAF
  • Party: (UP)
• Winston A. TUBMAN
  • Party: Congress for Democratic Change (CDC)
• Charles Walker BRUMSKIN
  • Party: Liberty Party (LP)

Last Presidential election:

• Presidential elections were last held on July 19, 1997. Charles Ghankay TAYLOR won with 75.3% of the vote against Ellen JOHNSON-SIRLEAF, who obtained 9.6% of the vote.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 3,269,786 (2005)
• Registered Voters: 1,325,556 (2005)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 1,630,405 (2005)

·         Is Liberia a signatory to CEDAW: No

·         Has Liberia ratified CEDAW: Yes, accession (17 July 1984)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 8 (following the 2005 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 177 (2014) 

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Very High (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Liberia a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Liberia ratified CRPD: Yes (26 July 2012)

·         Population with a disability: 490,467 (est.)