As the seat of the national government, Monrovia is home to the Executive
A boy stands with the national flag of Liberia. Monrovia has no city or county government, but is governed directly by the federal government. ()
Mansion (the residence of the president), the Capitol building, the Temple of Justice, and various ministry buildings. Thanks to its close association with the United States, Liberia's government has always been modeled on that of the United States, with executive and judicial branches and a bicameral legislature. The 1986 constitution adopted during the regime of General Samuel K. Doe provides for the president to be directly elected by popular vote every six years, as are the legislators in the House of Representatives. Senators are directly elected for nine-year terms. During the civil war of 1990 to 1997, competing factions overran the country, and there was no effective central government. Central government was restored in 1995 under interim leadership in the form of a Council of State. In 1997 Charles Taylor was elected president of the country, and the Council of State was dissolved.
There are no elected local councils in Liberia, and most local government centers around the country's 13 counties. Monrovia, however, is governed directly by the federal government rather than at the county level.
