Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf (29 of October of 1938 , Monrovia, Liberia), is the former president of Liberia ,position she held until 2018, after winning the presidential elections of the 8 of November of 2005 , in which he defeated the other main candidate, former player football George Weah . She served as Minister of Finance under President William Tolbert , from 1972 to 1973, the year a coup overthrew Tolbert, after which she left Liberia.and held senior positions in various financial institutions. She obtained a distant second place in the 1997 presidential elections. Later, she was elected President in the 2005 presidential elections. She took office on January 16, 2006, being the first female president elected in Africa. On Friday, October 7, 2011, he received the Nobel Peace Prize , shared with his compatriot Leymah Gbowee and with the Yemeni Tawakel Karman .
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was born in Monrovia , the capital of Liberia , raised by her parents. On his father's side he is of the Gola ethnic group (1/2) and on his mother's side of the Kru (1/4) and German (1/4) ethnic group.
Johnson-Sirleaf's father, Jahmale Carney Johnson, was born into rural poverty. He was the son of a Gola chief named Jenneh, in Julijuah, Bomi County. His father was sent to Monrovia , where his last name was changed to Johnson because of his father's loyalty to President Hilary RW Johnson, the first president to be born in Liberia. Johnson-Sirleaf's father became the first Liberian from an indigenous ethnic group to hold a position in national law.
His mother was also born into poverty in Greenville, Liberia. Juah Sarwee grandmother's mother sent Johnson-Sirleaf in Monrovia when German grandfather Johnson-Sirleaf had to flee the country after Monrovia declared war on Germany during World War One . A member of a prominent American-Liberian family, Cecilia Dunbar, adopted and raised Johnson-Sirleaf's mother.
Although not Americo-Liberian by descent, Johnson-Sirleaf considers herself culturally Americo-Liberian.
Johnson-Sirleaf studied economics and accounts from 1948 to 1955 at the College of West Africa in Monrovia . She married James Sirleaf when she was 17 years old, and she traveled to America in 1961 to continue her studies at the University of Colorado, where she eventually earned a degree. Johnson-Sirleaf began studying economics at Harvard from 1969 to 1971, earning a Master of Public Administration. He then returned to his country to work under the government of William Tolbert . Mrs. Sirleaf had four children and has eight grandchildren. In addition, his nephew, Mr. Emmanuel Sumana Elsar, was his political advisor during the 2005 presidential election against George Weah .
She served as Finance Minister from 1972 to 1973 under the William Tolbert's government . He resigned after entering into a spending disagreement. A few years later, Sergeant Samuel Doe , one of the members of the indigenous Krahn ethnic group, seized power in a military coup and President William Tolbert was executed along with several members of his cabinet by firing squad and stabbing. The People's Redemption took control of the country and led a purge against the former government. Johnson-Sirleaf managed to escape strictly and went into exile in Kenya . From 1983 to 1985 she served as Director of Citibank Bank in Nairobi. When dictator Samuel Doe declared himself 21th president ofLiberia decided to return to its home country to participate in the elections and turn against Doe . She was placed under house arrest for the incident, and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Johnson-Sirleaf was a much shorter time for taking the offer to go back into exile once more.
He moved to Washington , and served as Vice President of the Regional Office for Banco Citibank, in Nairobi, and Banco del Ecuador, in Washington. From 1992 to 1997 she worked as Assistant Administrator and then United Nations Development Director of the Regional Office for Africa Program. He returned to Liberia during the civil unrest and was shocked when Samuel Doe was assassinated by a group splinter from Charles Taylor of the Liberian National Patriotic Front. Initially, she supported Taylorin the bloody rebellion against President Samuel Doe in 1990, who later went on to oppose him. A provisional government was put in power, led by a succession. In 1997, she ran for the 1997 presidential election, where she won second place in a controversial election, losing to Charles Taylor, getting 10% of the vote to Taylor's 75% . Many observers said the election was fair, although Johnson-Sirleaf was soon charged with treason.
In 1999 the Civil War returned to the region and Taylor was accused of interfering with his neighbors, fomenting riots and rebellion. On August 11, 2003, after much persuasion, Charles Taylor handed power over to his deputy Moses Blah. The new provisional government and the rebel groups signed a historic peace agreement and established the installation of a new head of state. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was proposed as a possible candidate, but in the end the various groups selected Gyude Bryant, a neutral politician. Johnson-Sirleaf served as head of the Commission for Governance Reform. Johnson-Sirleaf played an active role in the transitional government as the country prepared for the 2005 elections, eventually running for president against his rival, former international footballer George Weah . Johnson-Sirleaf won a majority in the election through Weah's dispute over the results. The announcement of the new leader was postponed until the investigations that were carried out.
In the first round of the elections, his candidacy was the second most voted with 175,520 votes, going on to the final second round in which he faced George Weah . On November 11, 2005, with a 97% vote count, the Liberian National Electoral Commission declared Johnson-Sirleaf the winner of the election, a result not accepted by his opponent George Weah , who appealed to the Supreme Court Liberian calling for the scrutiny to be suspended for alleged irregularities. The accusations of fraud were rejected by international observers and by the electoral commission, which on November 23 confirmed Johnson-Sirleaf's victory.
On November 23, 2005, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was declared the winner of the elections in Liberia and confirmed as the next president of the country. His inauguration, which was attended by numerous foreign dignitaries, including US First Lady Laura Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice , took place on Monday , January 16 , 2006.
In March 2012, she was involved in a strong controversy over statements in which she defended the criminalization of homosexuality in her country at a time when two bills were being debated to toughen penalties. Because of this, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair , present at the event in which Johnson-Sirleaf made these statements, declared that he felt ashamed and organizations that defend gay rights have started a campaign for the Nobel Prize is withdrawn,She affirms that she respects foreign customs but insisted that her country is frowning on homosexuality and will not let any country impose its customs on them.