50-540: Leader of Liberia (1980–1990) Government Samuel Kanyon Doe (6 May 1951 – 9 September 1990) was a Liberian politician and military officer who served as the 21st President of Liberia from 1986 to 1990. He ruled Liberia as Chairman of the People's Redemption Council (PRC) from 1980 to 1986 and then as president from 1986 to 1990. Doe was a master sergeant in the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) when he staged
100-442: A pocket veto by refusing to sign legislation when the end of the twenty-day deadline for signing the bill falls during a recess of the legislature. The president may extend a legislative session past its adjournment date or call a special extraordinary session when deemed necessary for the national interest. The president must also give an annual report to the legislature on the state of the country. To be eligible for office under
150-496: A religious rally representing the Doe family, Doe's son Samuel Kanyon Doe Jr, accompanied by his mother Nancy , Doe's widow, told a conference that he had feelings of hatred and resentment against "a certain person in particular", thoughts of revenge against his father's murderer for the past ten years and that he intended to cleanse his sins and feelings of hatred and revenge against his father's executioner. Both parties were reconciled at
200-470: A runoff. The NDPL won 21 of the 26 Senate seats and 51 of the 64 seats in the House of Representatives . However, most of the elected opposition candidates refused to take their seats. The election was heavily rigged; Doe had the ballots taken to a secret location, and 50 of his own handpicked staff counted them. Foreign observers declared the elections fraudulent and suggested that runner-up Jackson Doe of
250-402: A show with several Liberian girls danced artistically in his honor with various hoops. Later, the dancers danced with maracas. Finally, the army paraded in line and the first they played a majestic orchestra. Doe publicly declared that if he lost the elections, he would not hand over power, and the army would carry out another coup in less than two weeks, a position that was harshly criticized by
300-472: A six-year term and is limited to two terms. Under the 1986 Constitution, presidential elections utilize a two-round system , wherein a second round of voting is held between the two candidates with the highest number of votes if no single candidate obtains a majority in the first round. Each term begins and ends at noon on the third working Monday in January of the year immediately following the elections. At
350-602: A state visit to Chun Doo-hwan in South Korea and being awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Seoul . After seven years of calling himself a doctor, Doe announced in 1989 that he had completed a bachelor's degree from the University of Liberia . During his first years in office, Doe openly supported U.S. Cold War foreign policy in Africa during the 1980s, severing diplomatic relations between Liberia and
400-701: Is largely modeled on the presidency of the United States . The 1986 Constitution gives the president the power to appoint all cabinet ministers , judges, ambassadors, sheriffs , county officials and military officers with the advice and consent of the Senate . Additionally, the president has the power to dismiss all appointees from office at his or her discretion. The president may also grant pardons or revoke sentences and fines. The president conducts all matters of foreign policy, though any treaties or international agreements must be ratified by both houses of
450-607: The 1997 general election , Charles Taylor held the presidency until his resignation on August 11, 2003, as part of a peace deal to end the Second Liberian Civil War . His successor, Moses Blah , ceded executive power on October 13 of that year to Gyude Bryant , the chairman of the National Transitional Government of Liberia. The presidency was resumed on January 16, 2006, following the 2005 election of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as
500-579: The Armed Forces of Liberia , hoping thereby to obtain a scholarship to a high school in Kakata . Still, instead, he was assigned to military duties. Over the next ten years, he was assigned to various duty stations, including education at a military school and commanding various garrisons and prisons in Monrovia. He finally completed high school by correspondence . Doe was promoted to the grade of Master sergeant on 11 October 1979 and made an administrator for
550-731: The Ivory Coast to overthrow him. Doe was captured and executed by Prince Johnson on 9 September 1990. Samuel Kanyon Doe was born on 6 May 1951 in Tuzon , a small inland village in Grand Gedeh County . His family belonged to the Krahn people , an important minority indigenous group in this area. At the age of sixteen, Doe finished elementary school and enrolled at a Baptist junior high school in Zwedru . Two years later, he enlisted in
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#1732782722052600-529: The Legislature . Furthermore, the president serves as the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Liberia. The Constitution also grants the president the power to declare a state of emergency during times of war or civil unrest and suspend civil liberties during the emergency as necessary, with the exception of habeas corpus . Within seven days of the declaration, the president must state to
650-480: The Liberian Action Party had won. Also, before the election, he had more than 50 of his political opponents murdered. It is also alleged that he changed his official birth date from 1951 to 1950 to meet the new constitution's requirement that the president be at least 35 years old. Doe was formally sworn in on 6 January 1986. On the day of his inauguration as the twenty-first president, in the stadium,
700-634: The Republican Party and the True Whig Party , ended in 1878, when the election of Anthony W. Gardiner marked the beginning of 102 years of one-party rule by the True Whigs. Following a coup d'état by disgruntled army NCOs and soldiers led by Samuel Doe in 1980, one-party rule of the True Whigs ended and the presidency was vacated until the election of Doe in the 1985 general election . After his overthrow and murder in 1990,
750-559: The Soviet Union . The United States valued Liberia as an important ally during the Cold War, as it helped to contain the spread of Soviet influence in Africa. As part of the expanding relationship, Doe agreed to a modification of the mutual defense pact granting staging rights on 24-hour notice at Liberia's sea and airports for the U.S. Rapid Deployment Force (RDF), which were established to respond swiftly to security threats around
800-519: The governor of Liberia , who was appointed by the American Colonization Society . The 1847 Constitution transferred the executive powers of the governorship to the presidency, which was largely modeled on the presidency of the United States . Between 1847 and 1980, the presidency was exclusively held by Americo-Liberians , the original American settlers of Liberia and their descendants. The original two-party system , with
850-590: The 1980 coup are still clouded by reports of an "Unknown Soldier". It is reported that an "unknown soldier" was one of the "white" mercenaries who would have staged the 1980 military takeover of the state. According to the autobiography of Tolbert's wife Victoria , the First Lady witnessed a masked man with a "white" hand stabbing her late husband. During his rule, Doe portrayed himself as an enlightened leader whose actions were intended to bring "relief to many". He styled himself "Dr. Doe" starting in 1982 after making
900-615: The American CIA had provided a map of the Executive Mansion, enabling the rebels to break into it; that it was a white American CIA agent who shot and killed Tolbert; and that the Americans "were responsible for Liberia's nightmare". However, the next day, before the same TRC, another former minister of Samuel Doe, Dr. Boima Fahnbulleh, testified that "the Americans did not support the coup led by Mr. Doe". Some facts of
950-461: The Constitution, allowing these trials to be conducted by a Commission appointed by the state's new military leadership, with defendants being refused both legal representation and trial by jury , virtually ensuring their conviction. Doe abruptly ended 133 years of Americo-Liberian political domination. Some hailed the coup as the first time since Liberia's establishment as a country that it
1000-482: The Legislature the reasons for the declaration, which both houses must then approve by a two-thirds majority. Otherwise, the president must repeal the state of emergency. The president must sign all legislation passed by the House of Representatives and Senate. The president may choose to veto any legislation, which may be overturned by a two-thirds majority in both houses. Additionally, the president may exercise
1050-461: The PRC in 1984 and attempted to legitimize his regime, with a new democratic constitution and a general election held in 1985 . He won with 51% of the votes, but the election had widespread allegations of election fraud . Doe opened Liberian ports to Canadian, Chinese, and European ships, which brought in considerable foreign investment and earned Liberia's reputation as a tax haven . Doe had support from
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#17327827220521100-621: The Third Battalion in Monrovia, a position he occupied for eleven months. Commanding a group of Krahn soldiers, Master Sergeant Samuel Doe led a military coup on 12 April 1980 by attacking the Liberian Executive Mansion and killing President William Tolbert His forces killed another 26 of Tolbert's supporters in the fighting. Thirteen members of the Cabinet were publicly executed ten days later. Shortly after
1150-609: The United States due to his anti- Soviet stance during the Cold War . Doe's rule was characterized by authoritarianism , corruption , and his favoritism towards ethnic Krahns , which led to growing opposition to his regime from the Liberian public and the United States. The First Liberian Civil War began in December 1989 when the anti-Doe National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) led by Charles Taylor invaded Liberia from
1200-413: The country's establishment. However, the new government, led by the leaders of the coup d'état and calling itself the People's Redemption Council (PRC), lacked experience and was ill-prepared to rule. Doe became head of state and suspended the constitution but promised a return to civilian rule by 1985. In the first alleged plot against his government, nine military personnel arrested two months after
1250-645: The country. The early days of the regime were marked by mass executions of members of Tolbert's deposed government. Doe ordered the release of about 50 leaders of the opposition Progressive People's Party , who had been jailed by Tolbert during the rice riots of the previous month. Shortly after that, Doe ordered the arrest of 91 officials of the Tolbert regime. Within days, eleven former members of Tolbert's cabinet, including his brother Frank , were brought to trial to answer charges of "high treason , rampant corruption and gross violation of human rights ." Doe suspended
1300-658: The country. The video shows Johnson sipping a beer as Doe's ear is cut off. Doe was a Baptist. At one time, he was a member of the First Baptist Church in the town of Zwedru in Grand Gedeh County . He changed his church membership to the Providence Baptist Church of Monrovia on 1 December 1985. Doe was a passionate football fan, and the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex bears his name. In November 2000, at
1350-445: The coup, government ministers were walked publicly around Monrovia in the nude and then summarily executed by a firing squad on the beach. The convicted were denied the right to a lawyer or any appeal. Hundreds of government workers fled the country, while others were imprisoned. After the coup, Doe assumed the rank of general and established a People's Redemption Council (PRC), composed of himself and 14 other low-ranking officers, to rule
1400-423: The current Constitution, a presidential candidate must: Additionally, the president may not be from the same county as the vice president of Liberia . Under the original 1847 Constitution, the president was elected to a two-year term, which was increased to four years on May 7, 1907. Under this amendment, a new president would serve for eight years and could be re-elected to unlimited four-year terms. During
1450-508: The first elected female head of state in Africa. On January 22, 2024, Joseph Boakai was sworn in as the twenty-sixth and current president of Liberia. Following the establishment of the Commonwealth of Liberia in 1838, executive power was vested in the governor of Liberia, who was appointed and served at the pleasure of the American Colonization Society . The first governor, Thomas Buchanan , served from 1838 until his death in 1841. He
1500-431: The first female president. George Weah was elected in 2017 as the 25th president of Liberia. Incumbent president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf signed Executive Order No. 91, thus establishing a Joint Presidential Transition Team, due to the fact that Liberia had "not experienced the transfer of power from one democratically elected president to another democratically elected president for over 70 years". The presidency of Liberia
1550-556: The gunshots from outside, Doe expressed concern to Quainoo, who assured him everything was fine. Quainoo later excused himself to check on what was happening outside and was followed by his aide, Captain Coker of the Gambian contingent. Both men took cover upon assessing the situation. Johnson's men moved indoors, finished off Doe's remaining team, shot him in the leg, and took him captive. Over 80 of Doe's men were killed. Coker characterized
Samuel Doe - Misplaced Pages Continue
1600-516: The hand of the Nigerian pastor TB Joshua . President of Liberia The president of the Republic of Liberia is the head of state and government of Liberia . The president serves as the leader of the executive branch and as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Liberia . Prior to the independence of Liberia in 1847, executive power in the Commonwealth of Liberia was held by
1650-452: The incident not as a fight but a brutal massacre. None of the ECOMOG personnel were shot in the carnage. Doe was taken to Johnson's military base. To prove that he was not protected by black magic , Johnson ordered Doe's ears be cut off in his presence. Shackles were also placed around Doe's legs and something strange was tied around his glans, as can be seen in the recording. At the end of
1700-559: The international community and the political parties participating in the elections. Official results showed that Doe received a narrow majority of the votes in the elections, although the US State Department alleged widespread fraud. General Thomas Quiwonkpa , who had been a leader of the 1980 coup along with Doe, attempted to seize power on 12 November 1985; the attempt failed after fighting in Monrovia in which Quiwonkpa
1750-505: The mid-1990s, most of Liberia was controlled by rebel factions. Approximately 600 civilians were killed at the church in the Sinkor section of Monrovia on 29 July 1990. The massacre was carried out by approximately 30 government soldiers loyal to Doe. The perpetrators were of Doe's Krahn tribe while most of the victims were from the Gio and Mano tribes, which were in support of the rebels. Doe
1800-475: The north (Quiwonkpa was an ethnic Gio), resulted in divisions and violence among indigenous populations who until then had coexisted peacefully. Charles Taylor , a former ally of Doe, crossed into Liberia from Ivory Coast on 24 December 1989 to wage a guerrilla war against Doe. Taylor had broken out of a jail in the United States, where he was awaiting extradition to Liberia on charges of embezzlement. The conflict quickly flared into full-fledged civil war . By
1850-513: The original 1980 coup were reportedly jailed for life. In June 1981, his government denounced another alleged coup in which thirteen members were executed behind closed doors. Months later, Thomas Weh Syen , an outspoken critic of some of Doe's policies, including the closure months before of the Libyan diplomatic mission and the forced reduction of staff from fifteen to six at the Soviet embassy,
1900-407: The presidency of William Tolbert , the Constitution was amended to restrict the president to a single eight-year term; by 1976, voices in the legislature were being raised in favor of returning to the previous system, but Tolbert proclaimed his support for the existing system and vowed to veto any constitutional amendments to remove term limits. Currently, the president is elected by popular vote to
1950-475: The presidency was again vacated for seven years during the First Liberian Civil War and again for two years following the conclusion of the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003. Under the 1986 Constitution , the president is directly elected by eligible voters to a six-year term, which may be renewed once. Overall, 25 individuals have served as president, including Ellen Johnson Sirleaf ,
2000-438: The recording, Doe was forced to get up, some of his fingers and toes were amputated, and there were attempts to mutilate the middle finger. After 12 hours of torture at Johnson's hands, Doe was finally murdered; his corpse had its head shaved and was exhibited naked in the streets of Monrovia with cigarette burns. Doe's body was later exhumed and reburied. The spectacle of his torture was video-taped and seen on news reports around
2050-562: The time of their inauguration, each president is required under the Constitution to take a presidential oath promising to preserve and defend the Constitution and faithfully execute the law. The oath is administered by the chief justice of Liberia in front of a joint session of the legislature. In 2006, the Executive Mansion was under renovations due to a fire that damaged parts of the building in July of that year. The office of
Samuel Doe - Misplaced Pages Continue
2100-470: The violent 1980 coup d'état that overthrew President William Tolbert and the True Whig Party , becoming the first non- Americo-Liberian leader of Liberia and ending 133 years of Americo-Liberian rule . Doe suspended the Constitution of Liberia , assumed the rank of general , and established the PRC as a provisional military government with himself as de facto head of state . Doe dissolved
2150-535: The weaker Gambian contingent. The Nigerian team had just withdrawn from the scene when Doe's convoy of lightly armed personnel arrived. Doe was escorted to General Quainoo's office, where he was formally welcomed while most of his team of aides and guards waited outside. Johnson's rebels surprised everyone by suddenly arriving on the scene uninvited and heavily armed, overwhelming and disarming all of Doe's team while encountering no resistance. They then started shooting Doe's team individually and later in groups. Upon hearing
2200-484: The world. A draft constitution providing for a multi-party republic was issued in 1983 and approved by referendum in 1984. On 26 July 1984, Doe was elected President of the Interim National Assembly. He had a new constitution approved by referendum in 1984 and went on to stage a presidential election on 15 October 1985. According to official figures, Doe won 51% of the vote—just enough to avoid
2250-446: Was beaten and arrested on 12 August of that same year, along with four other officers. They were promised a defense attorney, but none was given, and in three days, they were executed, which caused panic among the citizens of the capital. In August 2008, before a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in Monrovia, Doe's former justice minister, Councillor Chea Cheapoo — who contested the 2011 Liberia Presidential elections — alleged
2300-452: Was captured in Monrovia on 9 September 1990 by Prince Johnson , leader of INPFL , a breakaway faction of Taylor's NPFL . General Quainoo , the head of ECOMOG , had invited Doe to the ECOMOG headquarters for a meeting and assured him of his safety from the rebels. On the morning of 9 September 1990, Doe arrived at a precarious time during an ongoing change in guard duty from the well-armed and better equipped Nigerian team of peacekeepers to
2350-540: Was governed by people of native African descent instead of by the Americo-Liberian elite. Other persons without Americo-Liberian heritage had held the Vice Presidency ( Henry Too Wesley ), as well as Ministerial and Legislative positions in years prior. Many people welcomed Doe's takeover as a shift favoring the majority of the population that had largely been excluded from government participation since
2400-461: Was killed. Doe also announced in a radio and television broadcast that anyone found on the streets after a 6 p.m. curfew would be considered a rebel and executed immediately. Doe's government became even more repressive after the attempted coup, shutting down newspapers and banning political activity. The government's mistreatment of certain ethnic groups, particularly the Gio (or Dan ) and the Mano in
2450-520: Was succeeded by Joseph Jenkins Roberts , the first person of African descent to serve as governor of Liberia. Upon independence in 1847, Roberts was elected as the first president of Liberia. The 1847 Constitution denied suffrage to the indigenous population by requiring voters to own real estate. As a result, the presidency was exclusively held by Americo-Liberians until 1980, when a military coup led by Samuel Doe , an ethnic Krahn , overthrew and murdered President William Tolbert . The presidency
2500-404: Was vacant from 1980 to 1986, with executive power held by Doe as the head of the People's Redemption Council . Doe was later elected president in the 1985 general election , making him the first president outside of the Americo-Liberian elite. Doe was later overthrown and murdered in 1990 following the commencement First Liberian Civil War , during which the presidency remained vacant. Following
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