The National Transitional Legislative Assembly (NTLA) was

Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...

's legislative body during the country's transition from civil war to democratic rule (October 2003–January 2006).

Background

The NTLA was created as part of an August 2003 peace agreement that ended a

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

between government forces of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Charles Taylor and two rebel groups - Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) and the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL). It also called for the creation of a broad-based

transitional government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, a transitional government or provisional leadership, is a temporary government formed to manage a period of transition, often following state collapse, revoluti ...

that would rule for two years, ending with the holding of

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...

in October 2005 and the installation of a democratically elected government by January 2006.

Composition

The NTLA replaced the

bicameral Bicameralism is a type of legislature that is divided into two separate Deliberative assembly, assemblies, chambers, or houses, known as a bicameral legislature. Bicameralism is distinguished from unicameralism, in which all members deliberate ...

Legislature A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial power ...

, which was elected in 1997. It consisted of 76 appointed members representing the Taylor government, rebel groups,

political parties A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or p ...

, and

civil society Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.Trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

s, Teachers unions, Liberians in the

Diaspora A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of birth, place of origin. The word is used in reference to people who identify with a specific geographic location, but currently resi ...

, and Youth organizations.

Responsibilities

According to the 2003 peace agreement, the responsibilities of the National Transitional Legislative Assembly were to: #Function as a legislative body. #Approve the policies and programs of the National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL) for implementation by the cabinet. #Encourage and support the emergence of a new democratic space, particularly in the areas of

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

and

freedom of expression Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...

Leadership

The NTLA was led by a Speaker and Deputy Speaker elected by Assembly members. George Dweh, a founding member of LURD and Eddington Varmah, a

Justice Minister A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

in the Taylor government were elected unopposed as Speaker and Deputy Speaker in October 2003. Both were suspended indefinitely on 14 March 2005, along with two other members, for spending money without proper authorization. A vote held on 17 March resulted in

George Koukou George Koukou (born 25 May 1945) was acting Speaker of the National Transitional Legislative Assembly of Liberia from 17 March 2005 to January 2006. Originally from Nimba County, he now resides in the capital city of Monrovia. He is a member of ...

being elected acting Speaker and David Gbala chosen as Deputy Speaker. Koukou received 39 votes while his only opponent Fayah Gbollie, a former presidential candidate and representative of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), won 4.

External links

Text of the 2003 Peace Agreement
2003 establishments in Liberia 2005 disestablishments in Liberia

Legislature of Liberia

Background

Composition

Responsibilities

Leadership

See also

External links