Unity Party (Liberia)
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2017) |
Unity Party | |
|---|---|
.png) | |
| Abbreviation | UP |
| Chairperson | Wilmot J. M. aye |
| Senate Leader | Joseph Boakai (President) |
| House Leader | Alex J. Tyler (Speaker) |
| Founded | 1984 |
| Ideology | Economic liberalism Liberal democracy |
| Political position | Centre |
| International affiliation | International Democrat Union |
| Regional affiliation | Democrat Union of Africa |
| Colours | Green and maroon |
| Slogan | One Nation, One People, With Liberty And Justice For All |
| Seats in the Senate | 10 / 30
|
| Seats in the House | 20 / 73
|
| Pan African Parliament | 2 / 5
|
| Website | |
| http://www.unitypartyliberia.org | |
The Unity Party (UP) is a political party in Liberia that was started in 1984 by Edward B. Kesselly, also its first standard bearer. Officially founded at Buchanan in Grand Bassa County, the party was established on 27 July 1985.[1] The Unity Party participated in the first elections after the 1980 coup, running against President Samuel Doe in October 1985. The party has remained active in Liberian politics since and was, until 2017, the ruling party.
In the elections held on 19 July 1997, the UP presidential candidate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf won 9.58% of the vote. The party won 7 of 64 seats in the House of Representatives and 3 of 26 in the Senate. While international observers deemed the polls administratively free and transparent, they noted that it had taken place in an atmosphere of intimidation because most voters believed that former rebel leader and National Patriotic Party (NPP) candidate Charles Taylor would return to war if defeated.
Unity Party candidate Sirleaf won the 2005 presidential elections, defeating George Weah of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) in a run-off. The party also won 3 seats in the Senate and 8 in the House of Representatives. The merger of the Liberia Unification Party and the Liberian Action Party into the Unity Party on 1 April 2009 substantially increased its representation in the Legislature.[2]
The party lost in the run-off of the 2017 presidential and representatives elections to ex-footballer, George Weah.[3] On 13 January 2018 the party expelled[4] President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf from the party for campaigning for and with Weah against her own Vice President, Joseph Boakai, who was campaigning on the party ticket.[5]
Electoral history
Presidential elections
| Election | Party candidate | Votes | % | Votes | % | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | Second round | |||||
| 1997 | Ellen Johnson Sirleaf | 59,557 | 9.58% | - | - | Lost 
|
| 2005 | 192,326 | 19.8% | 478,526 | 59.4% | Elected 
| |
| 2011 | 530,020 | 43.9% | 607,618 | 90.7% | Elected
| |
| 2017 | Joseph Boakai | 446,716 | 28.8% | 457,579 | 38.5% | Lost
|
House of Representatives elections
| Election | Vote | % | Seats | +/– | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 59,557 | 9.57% | 7 / 120
|
 7
|
2nd
|
| 2005 | 123,373 | 12.49% | 8 / 64
|
1
|
 4th
|
| 2011 | 226,291 | 17.76% | 24 / 73
|
2
|
1st
|
| 2017 | 220,508 | 14.32% | 20 / 73
|
4
|
2nd
|
Senate elections
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 59,557 | 9.57% | 3 / 26
|
3
|
2nd
|
| 2005 | 222,705 | 12.93% | 4 / 30
|
1
|
 2nd
|
| 2011 | 164,851 | 12.85% | 10 / 30
|
1
|
1st
|
References
- ^ "UP To Do Formal Launching Tomorrow". [Monrovia] SunTimes, 1985-07-26: 1/13.
- ^ UP, LAP, LUP Mergedâ€(sic)¦Ellen Says It’s(sic) A Dream Come True, The Liberian Journal, Jimmey C. Fahngon, April 2, 2009
- ^ http://www.necliberia.org/results2017
- ^ "Liberia's Sirleaf expelled from her party". BBC News. 2018. Retrieved 2018-01-15.
- ^ https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-42681795
External links
- Weah cries foul in Liberia's presidential play-off, Sam Knight and agencies, The Sunday Times Online, November 10, 2005
