Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf

Barring something truly odd Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf will be the new president of Liberia, the first elected female head of state on the African continent. She ran on a platform of education, jobs and no government corruption. Given Liberia's war-torn state, her tasks will be immense.

Johnson-Sirleaf was educated at Harvard University. She is a career politician and an economist. This is likely to give her some of the expertise needed to address Liberia's problems. On the other hand, she was once a supporter of Charles Taylor, and some have questioned whether her economic approach (which is close to that of the World Bank) is the best possible one in Liberia's current situation.

I am not sure if anyone can solve Liberia's problems within one presidential term, but I wish Johnson-Sirleaf the best of luck in trying this.