Atty. Joseph A. Yarsiah
National Elections Commission of Liberia
Executive Director, Head of the Secretariat
Atty. Joseph A. Yarsiah is a distinguished Liberian lawyer, legal strategist, and a professional in electoral administration and democratic governance whose career spans election law, criminal law, litigation, public procurement, and regulatory compliance. He is known as a litigator with a strong passion for the law and a deep commitment to management and coordination of electoral processes.
He has been elected by the Board of Commissioners of the National Elections Commission (NEC) as the new Executive Director and Head of the Secretariat. In this role, he provides strategic leadership and administrative oversight to the Commission’s technical and operational departments. He leads the planning, coordination, and implementation of national electoral processes, ensuring that elections are credible, transparent, and efficiently delivered, in support of Liberia’s post-conflict democratic transition and the consolidation of peace.
Atty. Yarsiah brings to the position more than ten years of institutional experience at the NEC, where he served first as Director of Political Affairs and later as Director of Procurement. He helped draft several key electoral regulations, including the campaign finance regulations, the candidate nomination regulations, and the guidelines for political parties and independent candidates. These instruments strengthened transparency, accountability, and fairness in Liberia’s electoral system.
He later became a Partner at Nexus Legal & Financial Partners, where he was a trusted legal strategist and offered clients practical and innovative solutions in criminal law, litigation, procurement, and regulatory compliance. Earlier in his career, he worked with JG Korkoya Law Office, LLP, handling complex litigation and commercial cases.
Combining legal practice with expertise in business administration, election management, and public procurement, Atty. Yarsiah delivers analytical, results-driven leadership in both the public and private sectors.
Areas of Expertise
- Election law and electoral administration
- Criminal law and civil litigation
- Public procurement
- Administrative law and regulatory compliance
- Campaign finance and political party regulation
- Strategic leadership and institutional accountability
Education
- Candidate, Master of Public Administration (MPA), University of Liberia
- LL.B. in Laws, Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law, University of Liberia, 2020
- BBA in Accounting, University of Liberia, 2003
Departments
Click any department to view its full structure, portfolio, and staff details.
Administration
Oversees human resources, procurement, technical services & facility management, Security and monitoring & evaluation across the Commission.
Operations
Manages research and records, training and procedures, logistics, field coordination and support, and oversight of field offices across all 15…
Information & Communications Technology
Drives the Commission's digital transformation including IT infrastructure, data center operations, GIS mapping, and electoral software development.
External Relations
Leads political affairs, civic and voter education, gender mainstreaming, and communications including media relations and public outreach.
Finance Department
Prepares and defend budget, manage funds, accounting and reporting.
Dispute Hearing
It handles formal complaints arising from elections. It receives complaints and petitions, schedules and conducts hearings, weighs the evidence, and…
Legal Section
This section advises the Commission on the Constitution and Elections Laws, drafts regulations, handles election complaints and disputes, represents NEC…
Internal Audit
It reviews finances, procurement, and assets to confirm that spending follows the rules, tests internal controls, flags risks and irregularities,…