Liberia: Girl power takes centre stage as elections draw near

Liberia's first polls after 14 years of bloody civil war might see a woman elected president, in what would be a first not only for Liberia but also for Africa. And with more women than men registered to vote, they should have the final say at the ballot box October 12. It is no surprise, then, that sisters in this impoverished West African nation are in jubilant mood. "For the first time in history, women are at the forefront of the elections," said Leymah Gbowee, head of the Women In Peacebuilding Network. "Towards the end of hostilities, Liberian women protested for peace and that's when the foundation was laid for women to play a more active role." The woman leading the charge is Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, affectionately dubbed "the Iron Lady" after Britain's groundbreaking prime minister, Margaret Thatcher. Sirleaf, a Harvard-educated economist with a resume boasting stints at the UN, World Bank and Citibank, wants to break a male stranglehold on power that has lasted almost 160 years.