The National Democratic Party of Liberia (NDPL) is a
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...
in
Liberia
Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...
.
The NDPL was formed in August 1984 by supporters of
Samuel Doe
Samuel Kanyon Doe (6 May 1951 – 9 September 1990) was a Liberian politician who served as the 21st president of Liberia from 1980 to 1990. Doe ruled Liberia as Chairman of the People's Redemption Council (PRC) from 1980 to 1984 and then a ...
, who came to power in the
1980 coup d'état. The party contested the
1985 general election with Doe as its presidential candidate. He won 50.93% of the vote in an election marred by allegations of extensive irregularities and
electoral fraud
Electoral fraud, sometimes referred to as election manipulation, voter fraud or vote rigging, involves illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote share of a favored candidate, depressing the vote share of ...
. The NDPL dominated both chambers of the
Legislature
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its p ...
, winning 21 of 26 seats in the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
and 51 of 64 in the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
. The party's control of the country ended following the outbreak of the
First Liberian Civil War
The First Liberian Civil War lasted from 1989 to 1997.
President Samuel Doe had established a regime in 1980 but totalitarianism and corruption led to unpopularity and the withdrawal of support from the United States by the late 1980s. The Nat ...
in 1989 and the assassination of Doe in 1990.
The party later contested the
1997 general election.
George Boley
Dr.George Eutychianus Saigbe Boley (born 7 December 1949) is a Liberian politician and former warlord. He is a member of the Krahn ethnic group.
Boley was a junior minister in the administration of President William Tolbert, but was briefly ja ...
, a former minister in the Doe administration, was the party's presidential candidate. He won only 1.26% of the vote, while the party failed to win any House or Senate seats.
Following the end of the
Second Liberian Civil War, the party contested the
2005 general election. The NDPL's presidential candidate,
Winston Tubman
Winston A. Tubman (born 1941) is a Liberian diplomat and politician of Americo-Liberian descent. He is a former justice minister and diplomat for the nation, as well as having been the standard bearer of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC).
...
, placed fourth and won 9.2% of the vote. In concurrent legislative election, the party won two seats in the Senate and one in the House of Representatives.
Election results
References
Political parties in Liberia
Anti-communist parties
Anti-communist organizations
Political parties established in 1984
1984 establishments in Liberia
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