ABSTRACT
Liberians went to the polls on 13 July 1997 and, in a keenly contested election, Charles Taylor of the National Patriotic Party (NPP) won a landslide victory. This chapter looks at the implications of Taylor's victory and how the international community can assist Liberia in its post-war recovery efforts. The United Nations stayed in Liberia until the end mainly because ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) was present. The interest of most of the non-government organizations (NGOs) in Liberia was sustained because the continuation of the conflict kept their presence relevant. Even the other factions and political parties who contested the future of Liberia with Charles Taylor have also given the impression that the principal accomplishment of the election is the desire of the Liberian people to end their conflict. The most immediate and most important task confronting the Taylor administration is the establishment of a harmonious relationship between the different ethnic segments of the society.
