All People's Congress

All People's Congress
Leader Ernest Bai Koroma
Chairperson Ernest Bai Koroma
Secretary-General Alhaji Osman Foday Yansaneh
Spokesperson Alhaji Alpha Kanu
Founder Siaka Stevens
Founded 1962 (1962)
Headquarters 137th Fourah Bay Road Freetown, Sierra Leone
Ideology Social democracy
Political position Centre-left
Colors Red
Seats in Parliament
67 / 112
District Councils Chairperson
7 / 13
Municipalities Mayors
3 / 6
Website
www.apcparty.org
"All People's Congress" is also the name of a sister organization of the Workers World Party in the United States.

The All People's Congress is one of two major political parties in Sierra Leone, the other being the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP). The party was founded in 1960 by a breakaway group from the Sierra Leone People's Party who vehemently opposed the idea of election before independence, but instead supported the idea of independence before elections. The APC governed the country from 1968 to 1992, and became the ruling party again in 2007, after the party presidential candidate Ernest Bai Koroma won the 2007 presidential election.

Overview

Following a heavily manipulated plebiscite in 1978, the APC became the sole legal party in the country, a status it retained until 1991. Presidents Siaka Stevens and Joseph Saidu Momoh were members of the APC. Momoh was overthrown in a military coup in 1992, and during the long civil war that followed, the party was severely weakened.

In the parliamentary election held on 14 May 2002, the party won 19.8% of popular votes and 22 out of 112 seats. Its candidate in the presidential elections, Ernest Bai Koroma, won 22.3% of the vote; he was defeated by Ahmad Tejan Kabbah of the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP).

An All People's Congress rally in Kabala in 1968

For several years Koroma's leadership was challenged by some in the party, who took the issue to court; the dispute was said to be resolved in April 2007, with Koroma being accepted by party dissidents as the party's leader ahead of the 2007 election.[1][2] He was the party's candidate for president in the election, the first round of which was held in August 2007. In the first round he took first place with 44.3% of the vote, ahead of Solomon Berewa of the ruling Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) with 38.3%, but did not receive enough votes to win outright, and a second round was necessary. In the parliamentary election, held concurrently with the presidential first round, the APC won 59 out of 112 seats and became the largest party in Parliament.[3]

Koroma was victorious in the second round of the 2007 presidential election, held on September 8, winning 54.6% of the vote against 45.4% for Berewa.[4][5] He was sworn in as President on September 17.[6]

APC has traditionally been based amongst the Temne and Limba people in the north.

References

  1. ↑ Sayoh Kamara, "APC Gets Final Peace in Sierra Leone", Awareness Times, April 5, 2007.
  2. ↑ "Sierra Leone’s main opposition party settles internal dispute", African Press Agency, April 6, 2007.
  3. ↑ "Freetown opposition party wins majority", Reuters, August 24, 2007.
  4. ↑ Rod MacJohnson, "Sierra Leone gets a new leader", AFP, September 17, 2007.
  5. ↑ "S Leone opposition win presidency", BBC News, 17 September 2007.
  6. ↑ Katrina Manson and Christo Johnson, "Koroma pledges healing in Sierra Leone", Reuters, September 18, 2007.

External links

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