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1951 Liberian general election

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Field	Value
country	Liberia
module	{{Infobox election
embed	yes
election_name	Presidential election
type	presidential
election_date	1 May 1951
previous_election	1943 Liberian general election
previous_year	1943
next_election	1955 Liberian general election
next_year	1955
image1	William Tubman 1943.jpg
nominee1	William Tubman
party1	True Whig Party
title	President
before_election	William Tubman
before_party	True Whig Party
after_election	William Tubman
after_party	True Whig Party

General elections were held in Liberia on 1 May 1951, the first to be held under universal suffrage; previously only male descendants of Americo-Liberians had been allowed to vote. This was the first elections in Liberia where women and the local Liberians owning property were allowed to vote based on a Constitutional Referendum in 1945–46. In the presidential election, William Tubman of the True Whig Party was the only candidate, and was re-elected unopposed.

Prior to 1951, elections were held in May and ballots were counted during the Legislative meeting during November or December, with the winning President and representatives take oath during the following January. The ballot papers were burnt in the interim. A new law was implemented which scrapped this practice and retained ballot papers until all the challenging parties of the results were satisfied.

Tubman was elected unopposed for a third term in succession and took oath in January 1952. William Richard Tolbert Jr., who was his running mate in the elections became vice president for the first time.

Electoral system

William Tubman, the incumbent and winning President of 1951 elections

The Legislature of Liberia was modeled based on the Legislature of United States. It is bicameral in nature with a Senate and the House of Representatives. There are 15 counties in the country and based on the population, each county is defined to have at least two members, while the total number of members to the house including the Speaker being 64. Each member represents an electoral district and elected to a four-year term based on popular vote.

The franchise was widened to allow women and Liberians owning property to vote based following constitutional referendums in 1945 and 1946.

Candidates

Incumbent President William Tubman had been in power since 1947.

Didwho Welleh Twe emerged as an opposition to challenge the Presidency of Tubman and postulated that it was the responsibility of the United States of America to conduct free and fair elections in Liberia. He was disqualified on charges of sedition subsequently. Tubman canvassed with a theme of anti-communism and announced in an election rally that "it might be well that they endeavor to work out their own salvation and with fear and trembling". The Speaker of the House also drew examples from the US on the need to suppress Communism.

Results

References

"Liberia (1943-present)". University of Central Arkansas.
"Elections in Liberia". African Elections Database.
(March 1951). "Liberian Politics". Marshall Cavendish.
(2014). "About The Republic Of Liberia – Politics". Ministry of Information, Government of Liberia.
Okolo, Julius Emeka. (1981). "Liberia: The Military Coup and Its Aftermath". Royal Institute of International Affairs.
Burrowes, Carl Patrick. (2004). "Power and Press Freedom in Liberia, 1830-1970: The Impact of Globalization and Civil Society on Media-government Relations". Africa World Press.
(2001). "A Political Chronology of Africa". Taylor & Francis.

Info: Wikipedia Source

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