Who runs local government in Liberia?

Liberia is one of the most centralised countries in the region. Its 15 counties are run by superintendents appointed by the president, and city mayors are also appointed rather than elected. The 2018 Local Government Act promises elected county councils and elected chiefs, but by the latest sources most of it had not been put into practice. Paramount, clan and town chiefs, together with elders and initiation societies, carry much local authority in rural areas.

Republic of Liberia · Unitary presidential republic · Western Africa

The levels of government below the nation

Level	How it is chosen	What it does
Counties (15)	Superintendent and deputies appointed by the president; the 2018 Act provides for an elected county council (not yet set up)	Main level below the national government; implements national programmes and county development plans.
Administrative districts (about 126)	District commissioner appointed by the president or interior minister on the superintendent's recommendation	State administration; the 2018 Act adds a seven-member advisory council (not yet set up).
Cities, townships and boroughs	Mayors, township commissioners and borough administrators appointed by the president with Senate consent; city council members to be selected by residents of wards	Urban services; city corporations collect some fees.
Chiefdoms, clans and towns	Paramount, clan and general town chiefs; the constitution and 2018 Act say they should be elected for six years, but elections have not been held for decades	Rural administration, customary matters, local disputes and land.

Three questions about local power in Liberia

Are local leaders elected?

In practice almost no local officials are elected: superintendents, district commissioners and mayors are appointed. The constitution and 2018 Act require chiefs to be elected, but no chieftaincy elections had been held by the latest sources.

Which laws set up local government?

Counties, districts, cities and chiefdoms are in the constitution and the Local Government Act 2018. Initiation societies and much of how chiefs are chosen work by custom.

Who are local leaders accountable to?

Appointed officials hold office at the president's pleasure. Chiefs answer to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and to custom. The Senate must consent to mayors.

Traditional and customary authority

Article 56(b) of the constitution says paramount, clan and town chiefs shall be elected by registered voters in their areas for six-year terms. In practice, chiefs have long been chosen locally and confirmed or appointed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The 2018 Local Government Act keeps the chiefdom-clan-town structure, gives each chief an advisory council and sets up a National Council of Chiefs and Elders, led by a head chief. Chiefs and elders deal with land, family disputes and local order. Initiation societies (Poro for men and Sande for women) remain powerful in many communities in the north and west. The Land Rights Act 2018 recognises customary land owned by communities.

Community and neighbourhood power

Towns and quarters have their own chiefs and elders. Community forest and land committees set up under the Land Rights Act manage customary land. Youth and women's groups, churches and mosques organise much local self-help.

Points to know

Liberia's constitution has required elected chiefs since 1986, yet the government said in 2024 it hoped to hold the first chieftaincy elections in about 40 years by October 2026.
Under the 2018 Act, even the mayor of Monrovia is appointed by the president, and reports to both the city council and the president.
The 2018 Act lets counties make ordinances and raise local revenue, but these powers depend on councils that had not yet been created.
The National Council of Chiefs and Elders gives chiefs a national voice similar to a house of chiefs, but it is set up by an ordinary law, not by the constitution.

Local terms

Superintendent: The appointed head of a county.
Paramount chief: Head of a chiefdom (a group of clans).
Poro / Sande: Men's and women's initiation societies with social and moral authority in many communities.

Sources

Constitution of the Republic of Liberia 1986, Constitute Project, checked 14 October 2026
Local Government Act 2018 (Republic of Liberia), Government of Liberia (copy hosted by Forest Trends), checked 14 October 2026
Liberia: country profile (subnational government structure and finance, 2022 edition), OECD–UCLG World Observatory on Subnational Government Finance and Investment (SNG-WOFI), checked 14 October 2026
Ministry of Internal Affairs – official site, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Liberia, checked 14 October 2026