Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is the first female president of Liberia. In 1985, she announced her intention to stand as senatorial candidate in the elections, opposite Samuel Doe. After giving a speech very critical of Doe, she was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment. She served 2 short periods of detention before fleeing into exile. After returning to Liberia after the 7-yr civil war, she was a late entry to the presidential race as part of the Unity Party. She lost the election to Charles Taylor, who won 75% of the vote. She was then charged with treason and forced back into exile. Finally, she won the 2005 election, still part of the Unity Party. This is quite a brave woman; not only is she the first female president of Liberia, she's the first African woman to win a presidency. ~*Ashley*~ http://people.africadatabase.org/en/profile/2655.html#profile98700