Commends: (1) the people of the Republic of Liberia for holding peaceful national elections in 2005, and congratulates President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf on her victory and on becoming the first female president of any African country; (2) the government and people of Liberia for their commitment to Liberia's democratic renaissance; and (3) the Liberian National Election Commission for conducting the elections in a free and fair manner.
Applauds the candidates and their supporters, the United Nations, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the U.S. government for their role in helping Liberia carry out the elections.
Acknowledges the strong and long-standing relationship between the United States and Liberia, and pledges continued support for Liberia's democracy and further development.
[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 313 Introduced in House (IH)]
109th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. CON. RES. 313
Commending the people of the Republic of Liberia for holding peaceful
national elections in 2005 and congratulating President Ellen Johnson-
Sirleaf on her victory and becoming the first female president of any
African country.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 8, 2005
Mr. Payne (for himself, Mr. Smith of New Jersey, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Meeks
of New York, Ms. McCollum of Minnesota, Ms. Watson, Mr. Tancredo, and
Ms. Lee) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on International Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Commending the people of the Republic of Liberia for holding peaceful
national elections in 2005 and congratulating President Ellen Johnson-
Sirleaf on her victory and becoming the first female president of any
African country.
Whereas between April 25 and May 21, 2005, more than 1.3 million Liberians,
which accounted for 87 percent of the eligible voters in the Republic of
Liberia, registered to vote in the October 11, 2005, national elections;
Whereas the Liberian National Elections Commission validated 22 presidential
candidates, 22 vice-presidential candidates, 206 senatorial candidates,
and 512 congressional candidates for the national elections;
Whereas 74.1 percent of registered voters in Liberia took part in the national
elections, some lining up for hours;
Whereas because no presidential candidate received over 50 percent of the vote,
a run-off election was scheduled for November 8, 2005, between the two
front-runners--Ms. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and Mr. George Weah;
Whereas on November 8, 2005, Liberians again peacefully assembled to participate
in this historic process;
Whereas the final tabulation of votes from the run-off election indicates that
Ms. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf won the presidency of Liberia with 59 percent
of the votes;
Whereas the victory of Ms. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf marks an important milestone
for Africa because Ms. Johnson-Sirleaf will be the first elected female
president in African history;
Whereas the people of Liberian have suffered from repressive and corrupt
political leadership, including that of Samuel Doe, who led a coup that
ousted President William Tolbert in 1980;
Whereas in 1989, Charles Taylor, an accused embezzler and United States prison
escapee, led an insurrection and fomented a devastating civil war that
claimed more than 200,000 Liberian lives, resulted in gross human rights
abuses, and forced half of the Liberian population to flee as refugees
to neighboring countries or to become internally displaced persons
within Liberia;
Whereas mediation and efforts by the Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS), and the signing of a peace agreement in 1995 and an addendum
thereof in 1996, paved the way for elections in 1997 in which Charles
Taylor was elected President of Liberia;
Whereas President Charles Taylor and his government failed to effectively pursue
national political reconciliation, build institutions, or improve socio-
economic conditions for the people of Liberia;
Whereas President Charles Taylor continued to aid and abet an insurrection
against the Government of Sierra Leone by the Revolutionary United Front
(RUF), a brutal rebel group known for amputating the limbs of innocent
children and causing prolonged suffering among Sierra Leoneans until
January 2002;
Whereas President Charles Taylor and officials within his government profited
openly from the illicit trade in ``blood diamonds'' and exploited
natural resources for private gain;
Whereas the regime of President Charles Taylor failed to adhere to the rule of
law, repressed the independent press, created an atmosphere of public
intimidation, operated with little or no accountability or transparency,
harassed and imprisoned civil society leaders, and routinely violated
human rights;
Whereas on June 17, 2003, the Government of Liberia, Liberians United for
Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), and the Movement for Democracy in
Liberia (MODEL) signed the Agreement on Ceasefire and the Cessation of
Hostilities (hereinafter referred to as the ``Ceasefire Agreement)'' to
halt Liberia's civil war and bring renewed hope for the people of
Liberia;
Whereas the Ceasefire Agreement states that immediately following the signing of
the Ceasefire Agreement, the Government of Liberia, LURD, and MODEL,
with all other Liberian political parties and stakeholders, would
participate in a dialogue to seek, within a period of 30 days, a
comprehensive peace agreement and the formation of a transitional
government;
Whereas on August 18, 2003, the involved parties signed the Comprehensive Peace
Agreement and shortly thereafter peacekeepers from the Economic
Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the ECOWAS Mission in
Liberia (ECOMIL) were deployed to Liberia to end the fighting by
observing and enforcing the Ceasefire Agreement as well as to facilitate
the distribution of relief aid;
Whereas in September 2003, the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL)
absorbed ECOMIL and took over the responsibilities of peacekeeping,
civilian policing, facilitating the safe return of over 500,000
internally displaced persons and refugees in neighboring countries, and
aiding in the delivery of humanitarian assistance and goods;
Whereas UNMIL committed to assist the National Transitional Government of
Liberia (NTGL) in the implementation of the Disarmament, Demobilization,
Re-integration and Rehabilitation (DDRR) program, whose aim is to re-
incorporate into civilian life socially and economically an estimated
101,000 combatants, among them 11,000 child soldiers under the age of
18;
Whereas on October 14, 2003, the NTGL, headed by Chairman Gyude Bryant, took
office with the task of re-establishing a governmental authority and
helping organize national elections within two years;
Whereas the United States and Liberia have a long, historic relationship
beginning in the 19th century when freed slaves from the United States
founded the Republic of Liberia with a grant of $100,000 from President
James Monroe and thousands of free Black Americans from the United
States immigrated to Liberia and declared their independence; and
Whereas in spite of its troubled domestic political history and disappointing
political leadership, Liberia has been a strong political ally of the
United States, including providing a base for the Allies in West Africa
during World War I, allowing United States troops to be based in the
country during World War II, and permitting the construction of a Voice
of America transmitter to cover the entire African continent to expose
Soviet propaganda during the cold war: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That Congress--
(1) commends the people of the Republic of Liberia for
holding peaceful national elections in 2005 and congratulating
President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf on her victory and becoming the
first female president of any African country;
(2) commends the Government and people of Liberia for their
commitment to the democratic renaissance of Liberia;
(3) commends the Liberian National Election Commission for
conducting the 2005 national elections in a free and fair
manner and for investigating election complaints;
(4) applauds the candidates and their supporters, the
United Nations, the Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS), and the Government of the United States for their
role in helping Liberia carry out the 2005 national elections;
(5) urges all political and civic leaders in Liberia to
continue to lead the country into a sustained peaceful
transition to democracy;
(6) acknowledges and welcomes the strong and long-standing
relationship between the United States and Liberia and
expresses its firm commitment to continuing efforts by the
people and Government of Liberia to forge ahead toward the
establishment of a full democracy and a sustainable economy;
and
(7) pledges its continued support to lasting peace and
democracy in Liberia and to the further development of Liberia.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on International Relations.
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