The cost of politics in Liberia
Liberia has held four peaceful and successful multi-party elections since the return to constitutional democracy in 2005. Those polls have facilitated seamless transitions and have been judged to be largely free and credible, despite numerous institutional and financial challenges. But while the constitutional and statutory laws on elections are progressive, the rules of the game in practice are skewed in favor of political elites and relatively wealthier individuals, mostly men, who dominate the political space. As a result, electoral politics, rather than being a competition between parties and individuals over policy ideas and records of competence for votes, is largely contested among politically connected elites and the wealthier citizens.