Republican Party (Liberia)

The Republican Party, originally named the True Liberian Party until 1857,[2] was a political party founded soon after the founding of Liberia in 1848. It was known to be made up primarily of Americo-Liberians who had mixed African and European ancestry. Its main opponent was the True Whig Party.[3]

Republican Party
LeadersJoseph Jenkins Roberts,
Daniel Bashiel Warner,
James Spriggs Payne
Founded1848 (1848)
Dissolved1899 (1899)
HeadquartersMonrovia
IdeologyDecentralization[1]
Classical liberalism
Progressivism
Political positionCenter-left
International affiliationAmerican Colonization Society
Colors  Red

The first President of Liberia, Joseph Jenkins Roberts, supported the party, which had the first candidates elected to office in the independent nation. The party weakened soon after the death of Roberts. After the end of President James Spriggs Payne's term in 1878, the election of Anthony W. Gardiner to the presidency marked the beginning of more than a century of True Whig Party dominance in Liberian politics. In 1899, the Republican Party disappeared.[1]

Electoral history

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Presidential elections

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Election Party candidate Result
1863 Daniel Bashiel Warner Elected  Y
1865 Elected  Y
1867 James Spriggs Payne Elected  Y
1869 Lost  N
1871 Joseph Jenkins Roberts Elected  Y
1873 Elected  Y
1875 James Spriggs Payne Elected  Y
1883 Supported Hilary Richard Wright Johnson (TWP) Elected  Y
1885 Edward Wilmot Blyden Lost  N

References

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  1. ^ a b Carl Patrick Burrowes (2004). Power and Press Freedom in Liberia, 1830-1970. Africa World Press. p. 312.
  2. ^ Joseph Njoh (2007). Liberia: The Path to War. p. 116.
  3. ^ Tue (August 7, 2014). "Whither, Party Politics In Liberia?". Faily Observer. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016. Retrieved September 5, 2016.