Liberia's Sirleaf takes oath for second term, promises reconciliation
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf stressed national reconciliation at her second inauguration ceremony today in Liberia, a nation still emerging from years of war.
Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf (r.) and Liberian Vice President Joseph N. Boakai (l.) attend Sirleaf's second presidential inauguration at the Capitol in Monrovia Monday, Monday. Sirleaf is Africa's first woman president.
Larry Downing/AP
Monrovia, Liberia
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf pledged to work harder toward achieving national reconciliation at her second inauguration ceremony today in Liberia, a nation that emerged from civil war nearly a decade ago.
The ceremony itself showed some progress toward that goal: The top leaders of the main opposition party, Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), agreed to attend the inauguration after striking a deal with the ruling Unity Party over the weekend to recognize Ms. Sirleaf as president. The CDC had boycotted the second round of elections due to claims of electoral fraud.
While the show of unity augers well for Liberia's reconciliation efforts, challenges remain. Negotiations are still ongoing to determine what role the CDC may play in the upcoming government. And there is plenty of unhappiness with the opposition's decision to recognize Sirleaf among the rank and file, particularly unemployed youth and ex-combatants from the 14 years of civil war who feel they have not benefited from her government.
“The decision offers prospects for building political coexistence between the opposition and the Unity Party,” says Dan Sayree, director of the Liberian Institute for Democracy in Monrovia. “It offers hope for Liberian democracy and political stability.”
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