Two months ago, current Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf announced that she plans to seek reelection in 2011. “I know from whence we came yesterday. I know where we are today; I know where we ought to be tomorrow and I know how we will get there,” said Sirleaf in her announcement, according to Women’s Media Center.

Elected president of Liberia in 2005, Sirleaf became Africa’s first female head of state. Liberia’s feminist movement, already picking up steam, strengthened tenfold with Sirleaf in charge.

One of Sirleaf’s primary focuses during her presidency has been to empower the women of Liberia. After 14 years of civil war, Sirleaf inherited a country haunted by a history of violence, torture and rape. During this time women lived in constant fear of abuse, and, even after her election, the aftermath of this mistreatment of women is evident.

Sirleaf’s solution? Put women in charge.

Sirleaf filled her cabinet with capable women, and flooded law enforcement with strong, well-trained women officers. She put numerous policies into place, according to The New York Times, aiming to empower Liberian women through educational and economic means.

“Women are no longer sitting at home, waiting for their husbands to give their food,” said market vendor, Christiana Miller in a report by The New York Times. “They can run a business, they can read and write. Now I feel like I’m a woman!”

Whether working in the markets, as farmers, or as mothers, women in Liberia have begun to reap the benefits of Sirleaf’s strong push for gender equality and reconciliation.

“Frankly speaking, in Liberia right now, people take women seriously,” said Minister of Gender and Development Vabah Gayflor.

However, while empowering women has been a high priority for Sirleaf, this focus has not been to the neglect of the rest of Liberia. Strong women have played a critical role in bringing peace and stability to Liberia.

By maintaining close ties with the United Nations, Sirleaf has ensured that women make up a significant percentage of the peacekeeping troops that have been present in Liberia since the end of the civil war.

“My experience has been that women tend to be more committed, work harder, and more honest,” Sirleaf explained, according to The Times. “A woman brings to the task extra sensitivity; I think the characteristics have come from being a mother.”

Thus far, Sirleaf’s tactics have met with success. After years of destructive conflict, Liberia is beginning to reach a point of relative stability. Abundant law enforcement and peacekeeping troops have created a more secure environment, infrastructure has been rebuilt, and, while the economy is still fairly weak, Sirleaf has a clear idea of what policies she’d like to put into place.

“We have come a long way in our journey to economic reconstruction and national renewal,” Sirleaf said in the annual national address, according to an article in www.allAfrica.com. “Together, we have laid the foundation that will ensure that the sufferings and miseries of our people are adequately addressed. Let us travel the road together knowing that the God who brought us this far will not leave us.”

As Sirleaf seeks reelection in the coming year, she faces a good deal of criticism from political opponents. A recent report from Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, according to Zimbio, accuses her, along with 50 other powerful Liberian figures, of supporting warring factions during the civil war.

In fact, there is solid evidence that Sirleaf did support rebel leader and warlord Charles Taylor, who is currently on trial for 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, according to Zimbio.com.

The Commission has suggested that Sirleaf and the other reported politicians be banned from holding political office, posing a considerable obstacle for Sirleaf to overcome and giving her critics solid ground on which to stand in the upcoming election.

Sirleaf’s supporters have very little they can say to defend her against these accusations, but based on the progress that Liberia has seen in the last five years they can still make a very strong argument that Sirleaf is the most qualified and suitable candidate for the 2011 elections.

While she has carried Liberia into a more peaceful and stable place, there is still much to be done, and Sirleaf acknowledges this herself. Whoever is elected president in 2011 will have a lot of work on their hands. Whether she is the person for the job will be the decision of the Liberian people.