Alex J. Tyler

Alex Jenekai Tyler (born 15 December 1963) is a Liberian politician who was Speaker of the House of Representatives of Liberia from 2007 to 2016. He was first elected as the Representative for the 1st District of Bomi County in 2005. Tyler is a member of the Unity Party, having joined in 2009 following its merger with his Liberian Action Party.

Alex J. Tyler
Speaker of the House of Representatives of Liberia
In office
7 April 2007 – 27 September 2016
PresidentEllen Johnson Sirleaf
Preceded byEdwin Snowe
Succeeded byJames Emmanuel Nuquay
Personal details
Born (1963-12-15) December 15, 1963
Klay District, Bomi County, Liberia
Political partyUnity Party
Alma materAfrican Methodist Episcopal University
Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law
ProfessionBusiness administrator

Personal life

Tyler was born on 15 December 1963 in Klay District, Bomi County. He graduated from African Methodist Episcopal University with a BSc in economics and a minor in accounting. He initially worked as an office manager and resale supervisor for British Petroleum's West African division before taking jobs at various fishing companies in Liberia. In 2009, Tyler earned a J.D. from the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law.[1]

Political career

In 2005, Tyler ran for Representative for the 1st District of Bomi County as a member of the Coalition for the Transformation of Liberia, winning with 21.5% of the vote against six opposing candidates.[2] Following the resignation of Speaker Edwin Snowe in 2007, Tyler stood for the speakership, winning with 32 votes to his opponent's 27.[3] He was fiercely challenged in the 2011 UP primaries; while he prevailed in the election,[4] initial news results reported that he had lost.[5]

Alleged assault

On 18 January 2008, Tyler and his bodyguards were involved in a near-collision with former government official Prince Toe. Tyler's bodyguards allegedly followed Toe to his church, pulled him out of the building, beat him in front of the speaker, and stole two kilograms of gold he had in his possession. On 21 January, the Monrovia Magisterial Court issued an arrest warrant for Tyler on charges of aggravated assault and criminal solicitation. Following the intervention of the Minister of Justice, the arrest warrant was withdrawn for "procedural errors."[6]

Photographers in the Legislature

During a meeting of the House on 31 May 2011, Tyler ordered the Sergeant-at-Arms to seize two reporters' cameras after alleging that they were disrupting the proceedings. In protest, the Legislative Reporters Pool initiated a media blackout of the House.[7] Following mediation by the Press Union of Liberia, Tyler apologized to the reporters on 13 June.[8]

References
  1. "Humpty Dumpty: Free-falling Speaker Having His Way Amid Disorder, Corruption". FrontPageAfrica. June 2, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
  2. "Bomi County, District 1". 2005 Election Results. National Elections Commission. October 13, 2005. Retrieved August 3, 2005.
  3. "Bomi County's Rep. Tyler elected Speaker". Star Radio. April 6, 2007. Archived from the original on January 9, 2009. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
  4. Bitter-Sweet Primaries, FrontPage Africa, 2011-08-07. Accessed 2013-01-14.
  5. "Tears & Shocks", New Democrat, 2011-08-08: 1/14.
  6. "2009 Human Rights Report: Liberia". United States Department of State. March 11, 2010. Archived from the original on 2013-10-15. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
  7. "Speaker Orders Journalists' Cameras Seized". allAfrica.com. June 1, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
  8. "'Tendency to Err': Speaker Tyler Expresses Regret Over Attack on Legislative Reporters". FrontPageAfrica. June 13, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
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