John Atta Mills vs William Tolbert

John Atta Mills won the 2008 presidential election as the candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), defeating Nana Akufo-Addo of the NPP. The election was closely contested and required a runoff.

Under Mills' presidency, Ghana began commercial oil production from the Jubilee field. The government established the Petroleum Revenue Management Act to manage oil revenues transparently.

President John Atta Mills died suddenly at the 37 Military Hospital in Accra on July 24, 2012. His death was attributed to a short illness. Vice President John Dramani Mahama was sworn in as his successor.

Tolbert became President of Liberia on July 23, 1971, after the death of William Tubman. He continued Tubman's policies of economic openness and pro-Western alignment but faced growing economic inequality and political unrest.

In April 1979, Tolbert's government proposed a price increase for rice, a staple food. This sparked massive protests and riots in Monrovia, resulting in dozens of deaths. The government was forced to reverse the price hike, but the crisis weakened Tolbert's authority.

On April 12, 1980, Tolbert was assassinated during a coup led by Master Sergeant Samuel Doe. Doe's soldiers stormed the presidential mansion, killing Tolbert and several of his aides. The coup ended 133 years of Americo-Liberian rule and plunged Liberia into decades of instability.