I will campaign for women, says Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
Monrovia — Liberia’s outgoing President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf says she will actively campaign for the handful of female candidates contesting elections in October, while her male vice-president seeks to replace her. There is just a single female candidate among 20 contenders running for president this year in Liberia, as Sirleaf steps down as Africa’s first female head of state following more than a decade in power. "I will not be seeking re-election in the October 2017 elections; I will be on my feet everywhere in my own little way to campaign for women listed and certified by the National Elections Commission as candidates to participate in the ensuing elections," Sirleaf said in a media statement issued Tuesday. Apart from MacDella Cooper, the former fashion model turned humanitarian running for the presidency, just 15.9% of remaining candidates standing for vice-president and seats in the House of Representatives are women, according to the commission’s figures. Sirleaf said she...
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