The All People's Congress (APC) is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, the other being its main political rival the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP). The APC has been the main opposition party in Sierra Leone since 4 April 2018 when Julius Maada Bio of the SLPP won the 2018 presidential elections, though it maintains a majority in parliament.
All People's Congress | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Ernest Bai Koroma |
| Chairman | Ernest Bai Koroma |
| Secretary-General | Alhaji Osman Foday Yansaneh |
| Spokesperson | Cornelius Deveaux |
| Founder | Siaka Stevens |
| Founded | 20 March 1960 |
| Split from | Sierra Leone People's Party |
| Headquarters | 31 Railway Line, Brookfields Freetown, Sierra Leone |
| Ideology | African nationalism Social democracy Pan-Africanism |
| Political position | Centre-left |
| Colors | Red |
| Slogan | "Action, Progress, Commitment" |
| Seats in Parliament | 54 / 132 |
| District Councils Chairperson | 7 / 13 |
| Municipalities Mayors | 3 / 6 |
| Website | |
| apcpartysl | |
The APC party was founded in 1960 by a breakaway group from the Sierra Leone People's Party that vehemently opposed elections before independence and instead supported 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, he contested and also won the 2012 elections. The APC lost power on 4 April 2018, with its flagbearer Samura Kamara losing the presidential election to Bio.
The APC is very popular and receives large majority support in almost all of the northern districts of Sierra Leone with strong ties to the Temne and some Limba people. The APC is also popular with significant majority in the Western Area (including Freetown).
Overview
editFollowing 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 civil war that followed, the party was severely weakened.
In the parliamentary election held on 14 May 2002, the party won 19.8% of the popular vote 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).
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 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, with the first round 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 Koroma 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 8 September, winning 54.6% of the vote against 45.4% for Berewa.[4][5] He was sworn in as President on 17 September.[6]
APC has traditionally been based among the Temne and Limba people in the north.[7][8]
In 2018 the party named a team whowould review the country's constitution. Although the plan was to not have new elections for five years the party wanted to suggest a new constitution. The members chosen included Elvis Kargbo, Dauda S. Kamara, Eddie Turay and Osman Foday Yansaneh, Abu Bakarr Kalokoh, Daniel Koroma, Africanus Sorie Sesay esq, Amadu Koroma, Ibrahim I. Mansaray, Ibrahim Sorie esq, Isata Kabia, Lansana Dumbuya, Lawyer Showers, Roland Nylander, Sulaiman Kabba Koroma, Warah Serry-Kamal and Sorie Tarawallie. The group had several more members and a draft was expected by the end of January 2019.[9]
Electoral history
editPresidential elections
edit| Election | Party candidate | Votes | % | Votes | % | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | Second round | |||||
| 1985 | Joseph Saidu Momoh | 2,780,495 | 99.9% | — | Elected 
| |
| 1996 | Edward Turay | 38,316 | 5.1% | — | Lost 
| |
| 2002 | Ernest Bai Koroma | 426,405 | 22.4% | — | Lost
| |
| 2007 | 815,523 | 44.3% | 950,407 | 54.6% | Elected
| |
| 2012 | 1,314,881 | 58.7% | — | Elected
| ||
| 2018 | Samura Kamara | 1,082,748 | 42.7% | 1,227,171 | 48.2% | Lost
|
| 2023 | 1,148,262 | 41.2% | — | Lost
| ||
Parliamentary elections
edit| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 114,333 | 17.23% | 16 / 74
|
New |  2nd
|
Opposition |
| 1967 | 279,715 | 44.92% | 32 / 78
|
16
|
1st
|
Coalition |
| 1973 | — | 84 / 97
|
52
|
 1st
|
Supermajority | |
| 1977 | 425,358 | 61.93% | 70 / 100
|
 14
|
1st
|
Supermajority |
| 1982 | — | 85 / 104
|
15
|
1st
|
Sole legal party | |
| 1986 | — | 105 / 127
|
20
|
1st
|
Sole legal party | |
| 1996 | 42,467 | 5.69% | 5 / 80
|
100
|
4th
|
Opposition |
| 2002 | 409,313 | 21.41% | 27 / 112
|
22
|
2nd
|
Opposition |
| 2007 | 728,898 | 40.73% | 59 / 124
|
32
|
1st
|
Coalition |
| 2012 | 1,149,234 | 53.67% | 67 / 124
|
8
|
1st
|
Government |
| 2018 | 989,431 | 39.93% | 68 / 146
|
1
|
1st
|
Opposition |
| 2023 | 1,113,882 | 40.00% | 54 / 149
|
14
|
2nd
|
Opposition |
References
edit- ^ Sayoh Kamara, "APC Gets Final Peace in Sierra Leone", Awareness Times, 5 April 2007.
- ^ "Sierra Leone’s main opposition party settles internal dispute", African Press Agency, 6 April 2007. "African Press Agency - Item". Archived from the original on 13 December 2007. Retrieved 24 July 2007.
- ^ "Freetown opposition party wins majority" Archived 15 June 2006 at the Wayback Machine, Reuters, 24 August 2007.
- ^ Rod MacJohnson, "Sierra Leone gets a new leader", AFP, 17 September 2007.
- ^ "S Leone opposition win presidency", BBC News, 17 September 2007.
- ^ Katrina Manson and Christo Johnson, "Koroma pledges healing in Sierra Leone", Reuters, 18 September 2007.
- ^ Joseph J. Bangura; Marda Mustapha (29 April 2016). Democratization and Human Security in Postwar Sierra Leone. Palgrave Macmillan US. p. 31. ISBN 978-1-137-48674-5.
- ^ Verena Fritz; Brian Levy; Rachel Ort (13 January 2014). Problem-Driven Political Economy Analysis: The World Bank's Experience. World Bank Publications. p. 184. ISBN 978-1-4648-0122-8.
- ^ Thomas, Abdul Rashid (22 November 2018). "APC names members of its Constitutional Review Committee". The Sierra Leone Telegraph. Retrieved 10 May 2024.