MONROVIA, LIBERIA – A damning new report has ripped the veil off Liberia’s political establishment, exposing a system rigged by senior party elites to systematically exclude women and young people from any real decision-making power. The findings, presented last week to a convened audience of international ambassadors and local leaders, reveal a political culture where access is bought through family name or money, and youth are used as campaign foot soldiers with no voice in their own future.
The groundbreaking Political Economy Analysis, titled “Inclusion and Exclusion in Liberian Politics,” was conducted by the esteemed Ducor Institute for Social and Economic Research and commissioned by the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD). It serves as a stark indictment of the inner workings of the nation’s major political parties.
“The core of our democracy is sick,” declared Dr. Aaron Weah, Executive Director of the Ducor Institute, as he presented the incendiary evidence. “Decision-making is not democratic; it is a closed shop, highly centralized and dominated by a small circle of senior leaders. This isn’t just an observation; it is the architecture of exclusion.”
The report details a political landscape where Women’s political futures are not won on merit but purchased through legacy, cash, or connections. Their path to leadership is contingent on being part of a political dynasty, having significant financial resources to contribute, or being woven into powerful patronage networks.
Youth are strategically marginalized, deliberately funneled into roles of energetic support during campaigns but intentionally blocked from influencing policy, strategy, or securing electable positions. Party structures idolize seniority, actively discouraging a new generation of leaders.
“The findings are alarming but not surprising. They provide a forensic roadmap of the power dynamics that choke our democracy,” stated Oscar Bloh, NIMD Country Director. “This is no longer about suspicion; we have the evidence. This document is now the foundational text guiding our interventions to force open these closed doors.”
The international community, which funds the Liberia Electoral Support Project supporting this work, reacted with grave concern. Ambassador Nona Deprez, Head of the EU Delegation to Liberia, stated, “This research documents what many have long felt but could never so clearly prove. Naming these challenges is the essential first step to breaking them.”
