Cristophe CALAIS

On January 16, 2006, in Monrovia, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was sworn in as the new president of Liberia. At 67, this economist made history by becoming the first woman president of an African state, after winning against the former soccer player George Weah in the November 8 elections. Known to be uncompromising, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf will have much to do to bring change to the country which was ravaged by 14 years of civil war. Among other things, she will have to deal with the spread of corruption, the high unemployement rate, the influence of some former civil war chiefs in Parlement as well as the threat of instability in neighboring Ivory Coast and Guinea.

	CHRISTOPHE CALAIS		home page site en français switch to english
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	On January 16, 2006, in Monrovia, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was sworn in as the new president of Liberia. At 67, this economist made history by becoming the first woman president of an African state, after winning against the former soccer player George Weah in the November 8 elections. Known to be uncompromising, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf will have much to do to bring change to the country which was ravaged by 14 years of civil war. Among other things, she will have to deal with the spread of corruption, the high unemployement rate, the influence of some former civil war chiefs in Parlement as well as the threat of instability in neighboring Ivory Coast and Guinea.